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Take it or Leave it : Optimal Transfer Programs, Monitoring and Takeup

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Author Info
Laurence JACQUET (Norvegian School of Economics and Business Administration)

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Abstract

This paper studie the optimal income redistribution and monitoring when disability benefits are intended for disabled people but where some able agents with high distastes for work mimic them (type II errors). Labour supply responses are at the extensive margin and endogenous takeup costs burden disabled recipients (due to a reputational externality caused by cheaters or due to a snowball effect). Under a non-welfarist criterion which does not compensate for distaste for work, (inactive) disabled recipients get a strictly lower consumption than disabled workers. The usual conditions under which the optimal transfer program is a Negative Income Tax or an Earned Income Tax Credit are challenged, due to monitoring. We also show that even if perfect monitoring is costless, it is optimal to have type II errors. These results are robust to a utilitarian criterion. Numerical simulations calibrated on US data are provided

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES) in its series Discussion Papers (IRES - Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales) with number 2009003.

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Length: 39
Date of creation: 01 Feb 2009
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Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvir:2009003

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Related research
Keywords: Optimal income taxation; tagging; takeup; extensive margin;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
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  11. MARCHAND, Maurice & PESTIEAU, Pierre & DEL MAR RACIONERO, Maria, 2003. "Optimal redistribution when different workers are indistinguishable," CORE Discussion Papers 2003018, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE). [Downloadable!]
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  12. Kroft, Kory, 2008. "Takeup, social multipliers and optimal social insurance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(3-4), pages 722-737, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Assar Lindbeck & Sten Nyberg & Jšrgen W. Weibull, 1999. "Social Norms And Economic Incentives In The Welfare State," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 114(1), pages 1-35, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Jon Harkness, 1993. "Labour Force Participation by Disabled Males in Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 26(4), pages 878-89, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  18. Esther Duflo & Emmanuel Saez, 2003. "The Role Of Information And Social Interactions In Retirement Plan Decisions: Evidence From A Randomized Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 118(3), pages 815-842, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  19. Guy Laroque, 2005. "Income Maintenance and Labor Force Participation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 73(2), pages 341-376, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Stephen Pudney & Ruth Hancock & Holly Sutherland, 2006. "Simulating the Reform of Means-tested Benefits with Endogenous Take-up and Claim Costs," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 68(2), pages 135-166, 04. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  22. Blundell, Richard & Macurdy, Thomas, 1999. "Labor supply: A review of alternative approaches," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 27, pages 1559-1695 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  23. Schokkaert, Erik & Van de gaer, Dirk & Vandenbroucke, Frank & Luttens, Roland Iwan, 2004. "Responsibility sensitive egalitarianism and optimal linear income taxation," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 151-182, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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