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Redistribution in Switzerland: Social Cohesion or Simple Smoothing of Lifetime Incomes?

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  • Monika Engler

Abstract

Using the example of Switzerland, this paper examines the extent to which the state and the social security institutions change the income distribution. Two sets of questions are examined: (1) Who benefits from the public services, and who bears the public costs? (2) To what extent does an annual redistribution involve redistribution (a) across households with different lifetime income, and (b) across different phases of life within the same households? Budget incidence analyses and pseudo panel procedures allow to compare annual and lifetime household incomes that arise before and after transfers. The results suggest that public interventions induce substantial redistribution, which is due primarily, however, to income-smoothing transfers within households and not to redistribution across households.

Suggested Citation

  • Monika Engler, 2010. "Redistribution in Switzerland: Social Cohesion or Simple Smoothing of Lifetime Incomes?," University of St. Gallen Department of Economics working paper series 2010 2010-02, Department of Economics, University of St. Gallen.
    • Handle: RePEc:usg:dp2010:2010-02
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nadja El Benni & Robert Finger & Stefan Mann & Bernard Lehmann, 2012. "The distributional effects of agricultural policy reforms in Switzerland," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 58(11), pages 497-509.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Budget Incidence Analysis; Redistribution; Lifetime Income Smoothing; Pseudo Panel Procedure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence

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