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Generalized Compensation Principle

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  • Tsyvinski, Aleh
  • Werquin, Nicolas

Abstract

Economic disruptions (techonological change, trade liberalization, immigration flows) generally create winners and losers, i.e., wage gains for some individuals and wage losses for others. The compensation problem consists of designing a reform of the existing income tax system that offsets the wefare losses by redistributing the gains of the winners. We derive a closed-form formula for the compensating tax reform and its impact on the government budget when only distortionary tax instruments are available and wages are determined endogenously in general equilibrium. We apply this result to the compensation of automation in the U.S. and Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Tsyvinski, Aleh & Werquin, Nicolas, 2019. "Generalized Compensation Principle," TSE Working Papers 19-1051, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    • Handle: RePEc:tse:wpaper:123702
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    Cited by:

    1. Florian Scheuer & Joel Slemrod, 2020. "Taxation and the Superrich," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 12(1), pages 189-211, August.
    2. Saki Bigio & Galo Nuño & Juan Passadore, 2019. "A Framework for Debt-Maturity Management," Working Papers 143, Peruvian Economic Association.
    3. Arnaud Costinot & Iván Werning, 2023. "Robots, Trade, and Luddism: A Sufficient Statistic Approach to Optimal Technology Regulation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(5), pages 2261-2291.
    4. Uwe Thuemmel, 2018. "Optimal Taxation of Robots," CESifo Working Paper Series 7317, CESifo.
    5. David Horan, 2019. "A New Approach to Partnerships for SDG Transformations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-22, September.
    6. David Horan, 2019. "Compensation strategies to enact new governance frameworks for SDG transformations," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 43(4), pages 375-400.
    7. Chenyang Xue & Chaofeng Shao & Junli Gao, 2020. "Ecological Compensation Strategy for SDG-Based Basin-Type National Parks: A Case Study of the Baoxing Giant Panda National Park," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-16, May.
    8. Nicoletta Batini & Ian W.H. Parry & Mr. Philippe Wingender, 2020. "Climate Mitigation Policy in Denmark: A Prototype for Other Countries," IMF Working Papers 2020/235, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Saki Bigio & Galo Nuño & Juan Passadore, 2023. "Debt-Maturity Management with Liquidity Costs," Journal of Political Economy Macroeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 119-190.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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