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Transfers, Social Safety Nets, and Economic Growth

Author

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  • Xavier Sala-i-Martin

Abstract

This paper analyses the role of social safety nets in the form of redistributional transfers and wage subsidies. It is argued that public welfare programs can be viewed as a crime-preventing or disruption-preventing devices because they tend to increase the opportunity cost of engaging in crime or disruptive activities. It is shown that, in the presence of a leisure choice, wage subsidies may be better than pure transfers. Using a simple growth model, the optimal size of the public welfare program is found and it is argued that public welfare should be financed with income (not lump-sum) taxes, despite the fact that income taxes are distortionary. The intuition for this result is that income taxes act as a user fee on congested public goods and transfers can be thought of as productive public goods subject to congestion. Finally, using a cross-section of 75 countries, the partial correlation between transfers and growth is shown to be significantly positive.

Suggested Citation

  • Xavier Sala-i-Martin, 1996. "Transfers, Social Safety Nets, and Economic Growth," IMF Working Papers 1996/040, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:1996/040
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Alston, Lee J. & Melo, Marcus Andre & Mueller, Bernardo & Pereira, Carlos, 2013. "Changing social contracts: Beliefs and dissipative inclusion in Brazil," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 48-65.
    2. Patricia Justino, 2003. "Redistribution, Inequality and Political Conflict," PRUS Working Papers 18, Poverty Research Unit at Sussex, University of Sussex.
    3. Laaser, Claus-Friedrich & Rosenschon, Astrid, 2022. "Die Bundesausgaben in Zeiten von Corona im Fokus des Kieler Bundesausgabenmonitors: Eine Strukturanalyse," Kieler Beiträge zur Wirtschaftspolitik 41, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Bourguignon Francois, 2009. "Crime as a Social Cost of Poverty and Inequality: A Review Focusing on Developing countries," Revista Desarrollo y Sociedad, Universidad de los Andes,Facultad de Economía, CEDE, September.
    5. P. Kiss, Gábor, 2002. "A fiskális jelzőszámok új megközelítésben [A new approach to fiscal index numbers]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(4), pages 292-319.
    6. Patricia Justino, 2007. "Carrot or stick? Redistributive transfers versus policing in contexts of civil unrest," Research Working Papers 3, MICROCON - A Micro Level Analysis of Violent Conflict.
    7. Taschowsky, Peter, 2000. "Soziale Sicherheit und Wachstum," Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) dp-237, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    8. Mohammad, Irfan, 2007. "Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection in Pakistan," MPRA Paper 38156, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Patricia Justino, 2007. "Social security in developing countries: MYTH or necessity? Evidence from India," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(3), pages 367-382.
    10. Neslihan Uler, 2011. "Public goods provision, inequality and taxes," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 14(3), pages 287-306, September.
    11. Uler, Neslihan, 2009. "Public goods provision and redistributive taxation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(3-4), pages 440-453, April.

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