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From housewives to independent earners: can the tax system help Italian women to work?

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  • Figari, Francesco

Abstract

The paper analyses the incentive and the redistributive effects of introducing either a family based or an individual in-work benefit in Italy. The reforms are financed through the abolition of the existing tax credit targeted at inactive people. In-work benefits are means-tested transfers given to individuals conditional on their employment status. The results show an increase in the labour supply of both women in couples (with larger responses to the individual in-work benefit than the family based benefit) and lone mothers. Most of the behavioural changes take place among the poorest individuals with important redistributive effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Figari, Francesco, 2011. "From housewives to independent earners: can the tax system help Italian women to work?," ISER Working Paper Series 2011-15, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:ese:iserwp:2011-15
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    File URL: https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/files/working-papers/iser/2011-15.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Saša Ranđelović & Marko Vladisavljević, 2020. "Social Welfare Effects of Progressive Income Taxation under Increasing Inequality," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2020(5), pages 575-599.
    2. Figari, Francesco, 2009. "Can in-work benefits improve social inclusion in the southern European countries?," EUROMOD Working Papers EM4/09, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    3. Mojsoska-Blazevski, Nikica & Petreski, Marjan & Petreska, Despina, 2013. "Increasing labour market activity of poor and female: Let’s make work pay in Macedonia," MPRA Paper 57228, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Ugo Colombino, 2015. "Five Crossroads on the Way to Basic Income. An Italian Tour," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 1(3), pages 353-389, November.
    5. Rolf Aaberge & Ugo Colombino, 2014. "Labour Supply Models," Contributions to Economic Analysis, in: Handbook of Microsimulation Modelling, volume 127, pages 167-221, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    6. Sophie Ponthieux, 2014. "L’inégalité des revenus d’activité et les niveaux de vie des femmes et des hommes - Une comparaison entre cinq pays de l’Union européenne," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 469(1), pages 85-119.
    7. Saša Ranđelović & Marko Vladisavljević, . "Social Welfare Effects of Progressive Income Taxation under Increasing Inequality," Prague Economic Papers, University of Economics, Prague, vol. 0.

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