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The Design of Optimal Education Policies When Individuals Differ in Inherited Wealth and Ability

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  • Darío Maldonado

Abstract

In this paper I consider the role of education poli-cies in redistribution of income when individuals differ in two aspects: ability and inherited wealth. I discuss the extent to which the rules that emerge in unidimensional settings apply also in the bidimen-sional setting considered in this paper. The main conclusion is that, subject to some qualifi cations, the same type of rules that determine optimal edu-cation policies when only ability heterogeneity is considered apply to the case where both parameters of heterogeneity are considered. The qualifi cations pertain to the implementation of the optimal alloca-tion of resources to education and not the way the optimal allocations fi rst- and second-best differ.

Suggested Citation

  • Darío Maldonado, 2007. "The Design of Optimal Education Policies When Individuals Differ in Inherited Wealth and Ability," Revista ESPE - Ensayos Sobre Política Económica, Banco de la República, vol. 25(55), pages 84-108, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:col:000107:004647
    DOI: 10.32468/Espe.5503
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    optimal taxation; education; public pro-vision; multidimensional screening.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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