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Generational Conflict? Some Cross-Country Evidence

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  • Jacob Braude

    (Bank of Israel)

Abstract

The generational conflict hypothesis predicts that the elderly might use their political power to reduce public resources allocated to children. It is usually tested by exploiting the localized nature of school funding in the US. This paper takes a different approach using cross-country data on family benefits. The evidence points to a positive relation between the generosity of these benefits and the share of the elderly in the electorate of the country. The effects that other studies have found at the local level are thus not observed at the national one. The difference in approach and findings between this paper and previous ones can contribute to the debate on local school funding. The paper also suggests that the effect of the elderly may reflect the larger proportion of women in that age group.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob Braude, 2001. "Generational Conflict? Some Cross-Country Evidence," Bank of Israel Working Papers 2001.06, Bank of Israel.
    • Handle: RePEc:boi:wpaper:2001.06
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    File Function: First version, 2001
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(3), pages 565-591, September.
    2. Hoxby, Caroline M, 1998. "How Much Does School Spending Depend on Family Income? The Historical Origins of the Current School Finance Dilemma," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 309-314, May.
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    4. James M. Poterba, 1997. "Demographic structure and the political economy of public education," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(1), pages 48-66.
    5. Poterba, James M, 1998. "Demographic Change, Intergenerational Linkages, and Public Education," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 315-320, May.
    6. Samuel Preston, 1984. "Children and the elderly: Divergent paths for America’s dependents," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 21(4), pages 435-457, November.
    7. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(3), pages 565-591, September.
    8. Raquel Fernandez & Richard Rogerson, 1997. "The Determinants of Public Education Expenditures: Evidence from the States, 1950-1990," NBER Working Papers 5995, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 1997. "Why the United States Led in Education: Lessons from Secondary School Expansion, 1910 to 1940," NBER Working Papers 6144, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Conway, Karen Smith & Houtenville, Andrew J, 1998. "Do the Elderly "Vote with Their Feet"?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 97(4), pages 663-685, December.
    11. Lindert, Peter H., 1996. "What Limits Social Spending?," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 1-34, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tim Krieger & Jens Ruhose, 2013. "Honey, I shrunk the kids’ benefits—revisiting intergenerational conflict in OECD countries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 115-143, October.

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