IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/mpifgw/p0003.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Der Wohlfahrtsstaat im Steuerwettbewerb

Author

Listed:
  • Genschel, Philipp

Abstract

Does globalization undermine the fiscal basis of the welfare state? The conventional wisdom believes so: open borders invite tax competition, which in turn erodes the revenues from capital taxation. However, there is little evidence to support this view. The data show that revenues from capital taxation are fairly stable in OECD countries. Some observers conclude that globalization is not much of a challenge to the welfare state. In this paper, I argue that both positions suffer from the same deficiency: They ignore that globalization was not the only challenge that the welfare state had to deal with in the 1980s and 1990s. There was also slow growth, rampant unemployment, and high levels of precommitted spending. These problems prevent a race to the bottom and trap the welfare state in a pincer movement between external pressures to reduce the tax burden on capital on the one hand, and internal pressures to defend revenue levels and relieve the tax burden on labor on the other.

Suggested Citation

  • Genschel, Philipp, 2000. "Der Wohlfahrtsstaat im Steuerwettbewerb," MPIfG Working Paper 00/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:mpifgw:p0003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/41681/1/639582958.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sven Steinmo, 1994. "The End of Redistribution? International Pressures and Domestic Tax Policy Choices," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(6), pages 9-17, November.
    2. Sinn, Hans-Werner, 1990. "Tax harmonization and tax competition in Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(2-3), pages 489-504, May.
    3. Alfons Weichenrieder, 1996. "Anti-tax-avoidance provisions and the size of foreign direct investment," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 3(1), pages 67-81, January.
    4. Erik Norrman & Charles E. McLure Jr., 1997. "Tax Policy in Sweden," NBER Chapters, in: The Welfare State in Transition: Reforming the Swedish Model, pages 109-154, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. 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.
    6. Peter Birch Sørensen, 1998. "Recent Innovations in Nordic Tax Policy: From the Global Income Tax to the Dual Income Tax," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Peter Birch Sørensen (ed.), Tax Policy in the Nordic Countries, chapter 1, pages 1-27, Palgrave Macmillan.
    7. Claudio M. Radaelli, 1998. "Policy Narratives in the European union: The Case of Harmful Tax Competition," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers 34, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
    8. Jeffrey Owens, 1993. "Globalisation: the implications for tax policies," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 14(3), pages 21-44, August.
    9. Mendoza, Enrique G. & Milesi-Ferretti, Gian Maria & Asea, Patrick, 1997. "On the ineffectiveness of tax policy in altering long-run growth: Harberger's superneutrality conjecture," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 99-126, October.
    10. Vivek H. Dehejia & Philipp Genschel, 1999. "Tax Competition in the European Union," Politics & Society, , vol. 27(3), pages 403-430, September.
    11. Duane Swank, 1998. "Funding the Welfare State: Globalization and the Taxation of Business in Advanced Market Economies," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 46(4), pages 671-692, September.
    12. Willi Leibfritz & John Thornton & Alexandra Bibbee, 1997. "Taxation and Economic Performance," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 176, OECD Publishing.
    13. Vito Tanzi & Parthasarathi Shome, 1993. "A Primer on Tax Evasion," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 40(4), pages 807-828, December.
    14. Garrett, Geoffrey, 1998. "Global Markets and National Politics: Collision Course or Virtuous Circle?," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(4), pages 787-824, October.
    15. Scharpf, Fritz W., 2000. "The viability of advanced welfare states in the international economy. Vulnerabilities and options," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 399-425, July.
    16. Mr. Vito Tanzi & Mr. Parthasarathi Shome, 1993. "A Primeron Tax Evasion," IMF Working Papers 1993/021, International Monetary Fund.
    17. Kåre Petter Hagen & Erik Norrman & Peter Birch Sørensen, 1998. "Financing the Nordic Welfare States in an Integrating Europe," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Peter Birch Sørensen (ed.), Tax Policy in the Nordic Countries, chapter 4, pages 138-203, Palgrave Macmillan.
    18. Ludger Schuknecht & Mr. Vito Tanzi, 1995. "The Growth of Government and the Reform of the State in Industrial Countries," IMF Working Papers 1995/130, International Monetary Fund.
    19. Mr. George Kopits, 1992. "Tax harmonization in the European Community: Policy Issues and Analysis," IMF Occasional Papers 1992/004, International Monetary Fund.
    20. Quinn, Dennis, 1997. "The Correlates of Change in International Financial Regulation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 91(3), pages 531-551, September.
    21. Kirchgassner, Gebhard & Pommerehne, Werner W., 1996. "Tax harmonization and tax competition in the European Union: Lessons from Switzerland," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 351-371, June.
    22. Ganghof, Steffen, 1999. "Adjusting national tax policy to economic internationalization: Strategies and outcomes," MPIfG Discussion Paper 99/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    23. Tullio, Giuseppe, 1987. "Long run implications of the increase in taxation and public debt for employment and economic growth in Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 741-774, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mike, Károly, 2003. "A gazdaságpolitikai döntéshozatal nemzetek fölötti centralizációja és a közösségi gazdaságtan. Az adóverseny elméletének néhány tanulsága [Supranational centralization of economic policy-making and," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(3), pages 254-268.

    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. Genschel, Philipp, 2001. "Globalization, tax competition, and the fiscal viability of the welfare state," MPIfG Working Paper 01/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    2. Troeger, Vera, 2012. "De Facto Capital Mobility, Equality, and Tax Policy in Open Economies," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 84, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    3. Killian J. McCarthy & Frederik van Doorn & Brigitte Unger, 2011. "Tax Competition and the Harmonisation of Corporate Tax Rates in Europe," Chapters, in: Miroslav N. Jovanović (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Integration, Volume II, chapter 20, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Genschel, Philipp, 2005. "Globalisation and the transformation of the tax state," TranState Working Papers 10, University of Bremen, Collaborative Research Center 597: Transformations of the State.
    5. Ganghof, Steffen, 1999. "Adjusting national tax policy to economic internationalization: Strategies and outcomes," MPIfG Discussion Paper 99/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    6. Genschel, Philipp, 2003. "Die Globalisierung und der Wohlfahrtsstaat: Ein Literaturrückblick," MPIfG Working Paper 03/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    7. Günther G. Schulze & Heinrich W. Ursprung, 1999. "Globalisation of the Economy and the Nation State," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 295-352, May.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. Antonio Sciala' & Paolo Liberati, 2008. "The impact of economic openness on the vertical structure of the public sector," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0085, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    11. K. Mccarthy & F. van Doorn & B. Unger, 2008. "Globalisation, Tax Competition and the Harmonisation of Corporate Tax Rates in Europe: A Case of Killing the Patient to Cure the Disease?," Working Papers 08-13, Utrecht School of Economics.
    12. Feld, Lars P. & Kirchgassner, Gebhard, 2001. "Income tax competition at the State and Local Level in Switzerland," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(2-3), pages 181-213, April.
    13. Philipp Genschel & Achim Kemmerling & Eric Seils, 2011. "Accelerating Downhill: How the EU Shapes Corporate Tax Competition in the Single Market," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 585-606, May.
    14. Adam, Antonis & Kammas, Pantelis & Lagou, Athina, 2013. "The effect of globalization on capital taxation: What have we learned after 20years of empirical studies?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 199-209.
    15. Michael P. Devereux & Simon Loretz, 2013. "What Do We Know About Corporate Tax Competition?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 66(3), pages 745-774, September.
    16. Ganghof, Steffen, 2005. "High Taxes in Hard Times: How Denmark Built and Maintained a Huge Income Tax," MPIfG Discussion Paper 05/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    17. Philipp Heimberger, 2021. "Does economic globalization affect government spending? A meta-analysis," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 187(3), pages 349-374, June.
    18. Scharpf, Fritz W., 1999. "The viability of advanced welfare states in the international economy: Vulnerabilities and options," MPIfG Working Paper 99/9, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    19. Kathrin Isele, 2001. "Institutioneller Wettbewerb und neoklassische Modelle," Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge 43, Universität Potsdam, Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    20. Katharina Holzinger, 2005. "Tax Competition and Tax Co-Operation in the EU," Rationality and Society, , vol. 17(4), pages 475-510, November.

    More about this item

    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:zbw:mpifgw:p0003. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    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: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/mpigfde.html .

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.