IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/lmu/muenar/19797.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Why invest in your neighbor? Social contract on educational investment

Author

Listed:
  • Poutvaara, Panu
  • Kanniainen, Vesa

Abstract

It may be in the interest of low-ability individuals to subsidize theeducation of high-ability individuals. The sufficient conditions aresurprisingly mild: positive externalities in education andcomplementarity in production between human capital and labor suppliedby the low-ability individuals. However, tax competition and the freemobility of the educated give rise to time-inconsistency and free-ridingproblems which render such a social contract infeasible and result in asuboptimally low investment in education.

Suggested Citation

  • Poutvaara, Panu & Kanniainen, Vesa, 2000. "Why invest in your neighbor? Social contract on educational investment," Munich Reprints in Economics 19797, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:lmu:muenar:19797
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rehme, G., 1999. "Public Policies and Education, Economic Growth and Income Distribution," Economics Working Papers eco99/14, European University Institute.
    2. Hindriks, Jean, 1999. "The consequences of labour mobility for redistribution: tax vs. transfer competition," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 215-234, November.
    3. repec:adr:anecst:y:1997:i:45:p:13 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Antonio Ciccone & Giovanni Peri & Douglas Almond, "undated". "Capital, Wages, and Growth: Theory and Evidence," Working Papers 152, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.
    5. David E. Wildasin, 2000. "Labor-Market Integration, Investment in Risky Human Capital, and Fiscal Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(1), pages 73-95, March.
    6. Creedy, John & Francois, Patrick, 1990. "Financing higher education and majority voting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 181-200, November.
    7. Chapman, Bruce, 1997. "Conceptual Issues and the Australian Experience with Income Contingent Charges for Higher Education," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 107(442), pages 738-751, May.
    8. Eaton, Jonathan & Rosen, Harvey S, 1980. "Taxation, Human Capital, and Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(4), pages 705-715, September.
    9. Brennan,Geoffrey & Buchanan,James M., 2006. "The Power to Tax," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521027922.
    10. Sinn, Hans-Werner, 1997. "The selection principle and market failure in systems competition," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 247-274, November.
    11. Justman, Moshe & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1997. "Implications of the mobility of skilled labor for local public funding of higher education," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 409-412, September.
    12. Wildasin, David E, 1995. " Factor Mobility, Risk and Redistribution in the Welfare State," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 97(4), pages 527-546, December.
    13. David E. Wildasin, 1997. "Income Distribution and Redistribution Within Federations," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 45, pages 291-313.
    14. Panu Poutvaara, 2000. "Education, Mobility of Labour and Tax Competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 7(6), pages 699-719, December.
    15. David E. Wildasin, 1994. "Income Redistribution and Migration," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 27(3), pages 637-656, August.
    16. Fernandez, Raquel & Rogerson, Richard, 1997. "Keeping People Out: Income Distribution, Zoning, and the Quality of Public Education," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 38(1), pages 23-42, February.
    17. Bhagwati, Jagdish N. & Hamada, Koichi, 1982. "Tax policy in the presence of emigration," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 291-317, August.
    18. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 1998. "The Origins of Technology-Skill Complementarity," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 113(3), pages 693-732.
    19. Roland Bénabou, 1996. "Equity and Efficiency in Human Capital Investment: The Local Connection," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 63(2), pages 237-264.
    20. Hamilton, Jonathan H, 1987. "Optimal Wage and Income Taxation with Wage Uncertainty," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 28(2), pages 373-388, June.
    21. Fernandez, Raquel & Rogerson, Richard, 1998. "Public Education and Income Distribution: A Dynamic Quantitative Evaluation of Education-Finance Reform," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(4), pages 813-833, September.
    22. Johnson, George E, 1984. "Subsidies for Higher Education," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(3), pages 303-318, July.
    23. Raquel Fernandez & Richard Rogerson, 1995. "On the Political Economy of Education Subsidies," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(2), pages 249-262.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Poutvaara, Panu, 2001. "Alternative tax constitutions and risky education in a federation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(2-3), pages 355-377, April.
    2. Panu Poutvaara, 2006. "On the political economy of social security and public education," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 19(2), pages 345-365, June.
    3. Panu Poutvaara, 2003. "Educating Europe," Public Economics 0302008, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Grossmann, Volker, 2008. "Risky human capital investment, income distribution, and macroeconomic dynamics," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 19-42, March.
    5. Panu Poutvaara, 2000. "Education, Mobility of Labour and Tax Competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 7(6), pages 699-719, December.
    6. Poutvaara, Panu, 1999. "Federation's alternative tax constitutions and risky education," ZEW Discussion Papers 99-42, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Poutvaara, Panu, 2011. "The expansion of higher education and time-consistent taxation," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 257-267, June.
    8. Feld, Lars P, 2000. "Tax Competition and Income Redistribution: An Empirical Analysis for Switzerland," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 105(1-2), pages 125-164, October.
    9. Rehme, Günther, 2002. "Education, Economic Growth and Personal Income Inequality Across (Rich) Countries," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 43476, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    10. David E. Wildasin, 2006. "Global Competition for Mobile Resources: Implications for Equity, Efficiency and Political Economy," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo, vol. 52(1), pages 61-110, March.
    11. Alexander Kemnitz & Robert K. von Weizsäcker, 2003. "Bildungsreform in der Demokratie," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 72(2), pages 188-204.
    12. Li, Bei & Zhang, Jie, 2015. "Efficient education subsidization and the pay-as-you-use principle," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 41-50.
    13. Panu Poutvaara, 2004. "Public Education in an Integrated Europe: Studying for Migration and Teaching for Staying?," Public Economics 0406006, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Günther Rehme, 2007. "Education, Economic Growth and Measured Income Inequality," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 74(295), pages 493-514, August.
    15. Zodrow, George R, 2003. "Tax Competition and Tax Coordination in the European Union," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 10(6), pages 651-671, November.
    16. Tim Krieger & Thomas Lange, 2010. "Education policy and tax competition with imperfect student and labor mobility," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 17(6), pages 587-606, December.
    17. Gabrielle Demange & Robert Fenge & Silke Uebelmesser, 2008. "The Provision of Higher Education in a Global World—Analysis and Policy Implications," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo, vol. 54(2), pages 248-276.
    18. Glazer, Amihai & Kanniainen, Vesa & Poutvaara, Panu, 2008. "Income taxes, property values, and migration," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(3-4), pages 915-923, April.
    19. Brent Kreider, 2008. "Optimal Wage Taxation When Human Capital And Employment Are Endogenous," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 46(4), pages 660-675, October.
    20. Jean Hindriks & Gareth D. Myles, 2003. "Strategic Inter–Regional Transfers," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 5(2), pages 229-248, April.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:lmu:muenar:19797. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: . General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tamilla Benkelberg (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.