This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Inequality, Environmental Protection and Growth

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Laura Marsiliani (W. Allen Wallis Institute of Political Economy, University of Rochester)
Thomas Renstrom (W. Allen Wallis Institute of Political Economy, University of Rochester and CEPR)
Abstract

We analyze how, in representative democracies, income distribution influences the stringency of environmental policy and economic growth. Individuals (who differ in abilities) live for two periods, working when young and owning capital when old. Externalities are caused by a polluting factor. The revenue from pollution taxation, as well as capital-income taxation, is redistributed lump-sum to the old. The fiscal decision, at each point in time, is taken by a majority elected representative. In politico-economic equilibrium, more inequality (in terms of the skewness of the distribution) yields a lower pollution tax, a larger capital tax, and lower growth.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.wallis.rochester.edu/WallisPapers/wallis_35.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: full text
Download Restriction: None

Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Rochester - Wallis Institute of Political Economy in its series Wallis Working Papers with number WP35.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: pages
Date of creation: Nov 2002
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:roc:wallis:wp35

Contact details of provider:
Postal: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, Wallis Institute, HARKNESS 109B ROCHESTER NEW YORK 14627 U.S.A.

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Terry Fisher).

Related research
Keywords: Environmental policy; redistribution; inequality; political economy; growth.;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Models of Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
O41 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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.:
  1. Bovenberg, A Lans & Smulders, Sjak A, 1996. "Transitional Impacts of Environmental Policy in an Endogenous Growth Model," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 37(4), pages 861-93, November.
  2. Stokey, Nancy L, 1998. "Are There Limits to Growth?," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 39(1), pages 1-31, February.
  3. Selden Thomas M. & Song Daqing, 1994. "Environmental Quality and Development: Is There a Kuznets Curve for Air Pollution Emissions?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 147-162, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Aidt, Toke S., 1998. "Political internalization of economic externalities and environmental policy," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 1-16, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Kristin J. Forbes, 2000. "A Reassessment of the Relationship between Inequality and Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(4), pages 869-887, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2000. "Inequality and Growth: What Can the Data Say?," NBER Working Papers 7793, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Marsiliani, L. & Renstroem, T.I., 2000. "Inequality, environmental protection and growth," Discussion Paper 34, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  8. Bovenberg, A.L. & Smulders, S., 1993. "Environmental Quality and Pollution-Saving Technological Change in Two- Sector Endogenous Growth Model," Papers 9321, Tilburg - Center for Economic Research.
  9. Renstrom, Thomas I, 1996. "Endogenous Taxation: An Overlapping Generations Approach," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(435), pages 471-82, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Ligthart, Jenny E. & van der Ploeg, Frederick, 1994. "Pollution, the cost of public funds and endogenous growth," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 339-349, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Smulders, Sjak & Gradus, Raymond, 1996. "Pollution abatement and long-term growth," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 505-532, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Meltzer, Allan H & Richard, Scott F, 1981. "A Rational Theory of the Size of Government," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(5), pages 914-27, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Bovenberg, A.L. & Mooij, R.A. de, 1994. "Environmental Tax Reform and Endogenous Growth," Discussion Paper 98, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Søren Nielsen & Lars Pedersen & Peter Sørensen, 1995. "Environmental policy, pollution, unemployment, and endogenous growth," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 185-205, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Peter A. Diamond & J. A. Mirrlees, 1968. "Optimal Taxation and Public Production," Working papers 22, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
  16. Fredriksson, Per G., 1997. "The Political Economy of Pollution Taxes in a Small Open Economy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 44-58, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Raymond Gradus & Sjak Smulders, 1993. "The trade-off between environmental care and long-term growth—Pollution in three prototype growth models," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 25-51, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Persson, Torsten & Tabellini, Guido, 1994. "Is Inequality Harmful for Growth?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(3), pages 600-621, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  19. Oates, Wallace E. & Schwab, Robert M., 1988. "Economic competition among jurisdictions: efficiency enhancing or distortion inducing?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 333-354, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Kahn, Matthew E & Matsusaka, John G, 1997. "Demand for Environmental Goods: Evidence from Voting Patterns on California Initiatives," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(1), pages 137-73, April.
    Other versions:
  21. Frederick Ploeg & Cees Withagen, 1991. "Pollution control and the Ramsey problem," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 1(2), pages 215-236, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Larry E. Jones & Rodolfo E. Manuelli, 2001. "Endogenous Policy Choice: The Case of Pollution and Growth," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 4(2), pages 369-405, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  23. Marsiliani, Laura & Renstrom, Thomas I, 2000. "Time Inconsistency in Environmental Policy: Tax Earmarking as a Commitment Solution," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(462), pages C123-38, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  24. John, A & Pecchenino, R, 1994. "An Overlapping Generations Model of Growth and the Environment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(427), pages 1393-1410, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  25. Benabou, R., 1996. "Inequality and Growth," Working Papers 96-22, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  26. Grossman, Gene M & Krueger, Alan B, 1995. "Economic Growth and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 110(2), pages 353-77, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Use the JEL tree to browse through the database by subfields.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-15.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.