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Estimating Labour Supply Elasticities Based on Cross-Country Micro Data: A Bridge Between Micro and Macro Estimates?

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  • Markus Jäntti
  • Jukka Pirttilä
  • Håkan Selin

Abstract

We utilise repeated cross sections of micro data from several countries, available from the Luxembourg Income Study, LIS, to estimate labour supply elasticities, both at the intensive and extensive margin. The benefit of the data is that it spans over four decades and includes a large number of tax reform episodes, with tax rate variation arising both from cross-sectional and country-level differences. Using these data, we investigate whether micro and macro estimates differ in a systematic way. The results do not provide clear support to the view that elasticities at the macro level would be higher than corresponding micro elasticities.

Suggested Citation

  • Markus Jäntti & Jukka Pirttilä & Håkan Selin, 2014. "Estimating Labour Supply Elasticities Based on Cross-Country Micro Data: A Bridge Between Micro and Macro Estimates?," CESifo Working Paper Series 4994, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4994
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    Cited by:

    1. Kory Kroft & Kavan Kucko & Etienne Lehmann & Johannes Schmieder, 2020. "Optimal Income Taxation with Unemployment and Wage Responses: A Sufficient Statistics Approach," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 12(1), pages 254-292, February.
    2. Luksic, Jan, 2020. "The extensive macro labor supply elasticity: Integrating taxes and expenditures," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    3. Panayiota Lyssiotou & Elena Savva, 2021. "Labor supply responses to income tax free and bracket expansions," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 49(7), pages 1225-1239, November.
    4. Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger & Fanny Dellinger, 2017. "Genderdifferenzierte Lenkungswirkungen des Abgabensystems," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 60797, March.
    5. Ganghua Mei & Lei Yue, 2022. "Labor supply and time use: evidence from cohabiting women in the United States," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(44), pages 5133-5158, September.
    6. Kotamäki Mauri, 2016. "Participation Tax Rates in Finland, Earnedincome Tax Credit Investigated," Discussion Papers 107, Aboa Centre for Economics.
    7. Valentina Bosetti & Marco Maffezzoli, 2014. "Occasionally binding emission caps and real business cycles," Working Papers 523, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.
    8. McKay Andy & Pirttilä Jukka & Schimanski Caroline, 2018. "The Elasticity of Formal Work in African Countries," Working Papers 1820, Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business, Economics.
    9. He, Daixin & Peng, Langchuan & Wang, Xiaxin, 2021. "Understanding the elasticity of taxable income: A tale of two approaches," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    10. Malik Shukayev & Alexander Ueberfeldt, 2018. "Monetary policy tradeoffs between financial stability and price stability," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 51(3), pages 901-945, August.
    11. Klára Kalíšková, 2020. "Tax and transfer policies and the female labor supply in the EU," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 749-775, February.
    12. Vanessa Angst & Chiara Colesanti Senni & Markus Maibach & Martin Peter & Noe Reidt & Renger van Nieuwkoop, 2021. "Economic impacts of decarbonizing the Swiss passenger transport sector," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 21/352, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    13. Robert Darko Osei & Jukka Pirttilä & Pia Rattenhuber, 2017. "Quantifying the impacts of expanding social protection on efficiency and equity: Evidence from a behavioural microsimulation model for Ghana," WIDER Working Paper Series 193, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Enrico Rubolino & Daniel Waldenström, 2019. "Trends and gradients in top tax elasticities: cross-country evidence, 1900–2014," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(3), pages 457-485, June.
    15. Esteban, Joan & Levy, Gilat & Mayoral, Laura, 2019. "Personal liberties, religiosity, and effort," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    16. Charlotte Bartels & Cortnie Shupe, 2023. "Drivers of participation elasticities across Europe: gender or earner role within the household?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(1), pages 167-214, February.
    17. Michael MITSOPOULOS & Theodore PELAGIDIS, 2021. "Labor Taxation And Investment In Developed Countries. The Impact On Employment," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(2), pages 13-31, June.
    18. D'ANDRIA Diego & DEBACKER Jason & EVANS Richard W. & PYCROFT Jonathan & ZACHLOD-JELEC Magdalena, 2021. "Taxing income or consumption: macroeconomic and distributional effects for Italy," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2021-13, Joint Research Centre.
    19. Jorge Augusto Paz, 2019. "Envejecimiento demográfico y oferta laboral de hombres y mujeres," Revista de Analisis Economico – Economic Analysis Review, Universidad Alberto Hurtado/School of Economics and Business, vol. 34(2), pages 53-80, October.
    20. Palviainen, Heikki, 2019. "Changing Nordic model? A policy analysis," EUROMOD Working Papers EM15/19, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    21. Määttänen, Niku & Salminen, Tomi, 2015. "Unemployment Accounts - A Finnish Application," ETLA Working Papers 29, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    22. Galuščák, Kamil & Kátay, Gábor, 2019. "Tax-benefit systems and differences in aggregate labour force participation: Comparative evidence from the Czech Republic and Hungary," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 43(3).
    23. Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger & Fanny Dellinger, 2018. "Genderdifferenzierte Lenkungswirkungen des Abgabensystems auf das Arbeitsangebot," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 91(2), pages 105-120, February.
    24. Lundberg, Jacob & Norell, John, 2018. "Taxes, benefits and labour force participation: A survey of the quasi-experimental literature," Ratio Working Papers 313, The Ratio Institute.
    25. Yu‐Bong Lai, 2018. "The Feasibility of the Double‐Dividend Hypothesis in a Democratic Economy," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(1), pages 211-241, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    labour supply; taxation; cross-country comparisons;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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