It is well known that research and development (R&D) is an important engine for economic growth. Also, initial wealth inequality and subsequent economic growth are well known to be related. This paper links inequality and R&D-driven growth. It shows that in a class of economies where R&D is the main engine for growth, different wealth groups differ in their desire for aggregate innovative efforts: the higher the profit share of the individual's incomes the lower their ideal aggregate R&D and innovation. If rich shareholders were able to pursue their common interest and to discourage too much R&D compared, then a pro-labour government able to impose distortionary progressive taxation, by minimizing the difference between the rich and the poor can maximize growth. Such predicted negative relationship between desired R&D and dynastic wealth is robust to any subsidy rate lower than 100%
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Paper provided by Department of Economics, University of Glasgow in its series Working Papers with number
2009_14.
References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Jones, Charles I., 2005.
"Growth and Ideas,"
Handbook of Economic Growth,
in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 16, pages 1063-1111
Elsevier.
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Charles I. Jones, 2004.
"Growth and Ideas,"
NBER Working Papers
10767, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Alberto Alesina & George-Marios Angeletos, 2005.
"Fairness and Redistribution,"
American Economic Review,
American Economic Association, vol. 95(4), pages 960-980, September.
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