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Factor Mobility and Fiscal Policy in the EU: Policy Issues and Analytical Approaches

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Author Info
David E. Wildasin

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Abstract

Increased integration of labour and capital markets creates significant challenges for the welfare states of modern Europe. Taxation of capital and labour that finances extensive programs of cash and in-kind redistribution creates incentives for capital owners and workers to locate in regions where they obtain favorable fiscal treatment. Competition among countries for mobile resources constrains their ability to alter the distribution of income and may lead to reductions in the size and scope of redistributive policies. Mobility of labour and capital is imperfect, however. Recent trends indicate that labour and capital are neither perfectly mobile nor perfectly immobile, but rather adjust gradually to market conditions and economic policies. This paper presents an explicitly dynamic analysis showing that governments can achieve some redistribution when it is costly for factors of production to relocate. As the costs of factor mobility fall, however, the effectiveness of redistributive policies is more limited, and governments have weaker incentives to pursue them. Liberalised immigration policies, EU enlargement, and other steps that promote integration of the factors markets of Western Europe with those of surrounding regions thus present a challenge to policymakers if they also wish to maintain fiscal systems with extensive redistribution.

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Paper provided by CESifo Group Munich in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number CESifo Working Paper No. 344.

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Date of creation: 2000
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_344

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
H00 - Public Economics - - General - - - General
J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - General

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  1. Chiswick, Barry R, 1988. "Illegal Immigration and Immigration Control," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 101-15, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. David E. Wildasin, 1994. "Income Redistribution and Migration," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 27(3), pages 637-56, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Cremer, Helmuth & et al, 1996. "Mobility and Redistribution: A Survey," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 51(3), pages 325-52.
  4. Mieszkowski, Peter, 1972. "The property tax: An excise tax or a profits tax?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 73-96, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Wildasin, D.E., 1991. "Ralaxation of Barriers to factor Mobilty and Income Redistribution," Papers 92-009, Indiana - Center for Econometric Model Research.
  6. Baxter, Marianne & Jermann, Urban J, 1997. "The International Diversification Puzzle Is Worse Than You Think," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(1), pages 170-80, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Gerlinde Sinn & Hans-Werner Sinn, 1994. "Jumpstart: The Economic Unification of Germany," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262691728.
  8. Jan K. Brueckner, 2000. "Welfare Reform and the Race to the Bottom: Theory and Evidence," Southern Economic Journal, Southern Economic Association, vol. 66(2), pages 505-525, January.
  9. Hercowitz, Zvi & Pines, David, 1991. "Migration with fiscal externalities," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 163-180, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Boadway, Robin, 1979. "Long-run Tax Incidence: A Comparative Dynamic Approach," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(3), pages 505-11, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Decressin, Jorg & Fatas, Antonio, 1995. "Regional labor market dynamics in Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1627-1655, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Richard E. Baldwin & Joseph F. Francois & Richard Portes, 1997. "The costs and benefits of eastern enlargement: the impact on the EU and central Europe," Economic Policy, CEPR, CES, MSH, vol. 12(24), pages 125-176, 04. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Wildasin, David E., 1989. "Interjurisdictional capital mobility: Fiscal externality and a corrective subsidy," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 193-212, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Wildasin, D.E., 1992. "State Income Taxation with Mobile Labor," Papers 92-010, Indiana - Center for Econometric Model Research.
  15. Mendoza, Enrique G & Tesar, Linda L, 1998. "The International Ramifications of Tax Reforms: Supply-Side Economics in a Global Economy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(1), pages 226-45, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Daniel S. Hamermesh & Gerard A. Pfann, 1996. "Adjustment Costs in Factor Demand," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 1264-1292, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. Persson, Mats, 1995. " Why Are Taxes So High in Egalitarian Societies?," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 97(4), pages 569-80, December.
  18. Bradford, David F., 1978. "Factor prices may be constant but factor returns are not," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 199-203. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Goodspeed, Timothy J., 2000. "Tax structure in a federation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 493-506, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Siebert, Horst, 1997. "Labor Market Rigidities: At the Root of Unemployment in Europe," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 37-54, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Hans-Werner Sinn, 1995. "Staggering along: wages policy and investment support in East Germany," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 3(4), pages 403-426, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Straubhaar, Thomas & Zimmermann, Klaus F, 1992. "Towards a European Migration Policy," CEPR Discussion Papers 641, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  23. Topel, Robert H & Ward, Michael P, 1992. "Job Mobility and the Careers of Young Men," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 107(2), pages 439-79, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  24. Topel, Robert H, 1991. "Specific Capital, Mobility, and Wages: Wages Rise with Job Seniority," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(1), pages 145-76, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  25. Keen, Michael & Marchand, Maurice, 1997. "Fiscal competition and the pattern of public spending," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 33-53, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  26. Wildasin, David E. & Wilson, John Douglas, 1998. "Risky local tax bases: risk-pooling vs. rent-capture," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 229-247, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  27. Wallace E. Oates, 1999. "An Essay on Fiscal Federalism," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(3), pages 1120-1149, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  28. Wilson, John D., 1986. "A theory of interregional tax competition," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 296-315, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  29. Ronnie Schoeb & David Wildasin, 1998. "Economic Integration and Labor Market Institutions; Worker Mobility, Earnings Risk, and Contract Structure," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich.
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  30. Wildasin, David E, 1992. "Relaxation of Barriers to Factor Mobility and Income Redistribution," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 47(Supplemen), pages 216-30.
  31. Wildasin, David E. & Wilson, John Douglas, 1996. "Imperfect mobility and local government behaviour in an overlapping-generations model," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 177-198, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  32. Topel, Robert H, 1986. "Local Labor Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages S111-43, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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