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Are People Inequality‐Averse, or Just Risk‐Averse?

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  • Fredrik Carlsson
  • Dinky Daruvala
  • Olof Johansson‐Stenman

Abstract

Individuals' preferences for risk and inequality are measured through choices between imagined societies and lotteries. The median relative risk aversion, which is often seen to reflect social inequality aversion, is between 2 and 3. Most people are also found to be individually inequality‐averse, reflecting a willingness to pay for living in a more equal society. Left‐wing voters and women are both more risk and inequality‐averse than others. The model allows for non‐monotonic SWFs, implying that welfare may decrease with an individual's income at high‐income levels, which is illustrated in simulations based on the empirical results.

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  • Fredrik Carlsson & Dinky Daruvala & Olof Johansson‐Stenman, 2005. "Are People Inequality‐Averse, or Just Risk‐Averse?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 72(287), pages 375-396, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:econom:v:72:y:2005:i:287:p:375-396
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0013-0427.2005.00421.x
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    6. Hurley, Jeremiah & Mentzakis, Emmanouil & Walli-Attaei, Marjan, 2020. "Inequality aversion in income, health, and income-related health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
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    8. Bernard, Kévin & Bonein, Aurélie & Bougherara, Douadia, 2020. "Consumer inequality aversion and risk preferences in community supported agriculture," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    9. Aronsson, Thomas & Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2020. "Inequality Aversion, Externalities, and Pareto-Efficient Income Taxation," Umeå Economic Studies 975, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    10. Jukka Pirttilä & Roope Uusitalo, 2010. "A ‘Leaky Bucket’ in the Real World: Estimating Inequality Aversion using Survey Data," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(305), pages 60-76, January.
    11. Asaria, Miqdad & Costa-Font, Joan & Cowell, Frank A., 2021. "How Does Exposure to COVID-19 Influence Health and Income Inequality Aversion?," IZA Discussion Papers 14103, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Tyran, Jean-Robert & Sausgruber, Rupert, 2006. "A little fairness may induce a lot of redistribution in democracy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 469-485, February.
    13. François Cochard & Alexandre Flage & Gilles Grolleau & Angela Sutan, 2020. "Are individuals more generous in loss contexts?," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 55(4), pages 845-866, December.
    14. Hjördis Hardardottir & Ulf‐G Gerdtham & Erik Wengström, 2021. "Parameterizing standard measures of income and health inequality using choice experiments," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(10), pages 2531-2546, September.
    15. Ajitava Raychaudhuri & Poulomi Roy, 2021. "The Optimal Distribution Rule of Federal Funds to States in India: A Suggested Methodology," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 10(2), pages 193-225, December.
    16. Koch, Melanie & Menkhoff, Lukas & Schmidt, Ulrich, 2021. "Coupled lotteries—A new method to analyze inequality aversion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 236-256.
    17. Artuc, Erhan & Porto, Guido & Rijkers, Bob, 2019. "Trading off the income gains and the inequality costs of trade policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 1-45.
    18. Nock, Destenie & Levin, Todd & Baker, Erin, 2020. "Changing the policy paradigm: A benefit maximization approach to electricity planning in developing countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    19. Rojas, Mariano, 2009. "Economía de la felicidad. Hallazgos relevantes respecto al ingreso y el bienestar," El Trimestre Económico, Fondo de Cultura Económica, vol. 0(303), pages 537-573, julio-sep.
    20. Keigo Kameda & Miho Sato, 2017. "Distributional preference in Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 68(3), pages 394-408, September.
    21. Morten Nyborg Støstad & Frank Cowell, 2021. "Inequality as an Externality: Consequences for Tax Design," PSE Working Papers halshs-03495989, HAL.
    22. Marcelo Bérgolo & Gabriel Burdín & Santiago Burone & Mauricio de Rosa & Matías Giaccobasso & Martín Leites, 2020. "Dissecting Inequality-Averse Preferences," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 20-19, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    23. Florian Landis, 2019. "Cost distribution and equity of climate policy in Switzerland," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 155(1), pages 1-28, December.
    24. Santiago Burone & Martin Leites, 2021. "Self-centered and non-self-centered inequality aversion matter: Evidence from Uruguay based on an experimental survey," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 19(2), pages 265-291, June.
    25. Peter P. Wakker, 2008. "Explaining the characteristics of the power (CRRA) utility family," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(12), pages 1329-1344.

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    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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