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Measuring the balance of government intervention on forward and backward family transfers using NTA estimates: the modified Lee Arrows

Author

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  • Concepció Patxot
  • Elisenda Renteria
  • Miguel Sánchez Romero

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

  • Guadalupe Souto

Abstract

In this paper we propose a way to measure the degree of government intervention on forward –from parents to children– and backward –from adult children to elderly parents– intergenerational family transfers (IFT). We carry out a discussion about the possibility of using Generational Accounts (GA) and National Transfer Accounts (NTA) methodologies to generate indicators that could measure government intervention on both sides of IFT. As a result, we propose a modification of arrow diagrams used by Lee (1994b). An illustration of the results in the Spanish case indicates that the degree of government intervention on backward IFT is above that on forward IFT. This could be one of the main reasons to explain the Spanish low fertility rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Concepció Patxot & Elisenda Renteria & Miguel Sánchez Romero & Guadalupe Souto, 2012. "Measuring the balance of government intervention on forward and backward family transfers using NTA estimates: the modified Lee Arrows," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2012-015, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2012-015
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2012-015
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    2. Holger Bonin & Concepció Patxot & Guadalupe Souto, 2014. "Cyclically‐Neutral Generational Accounting," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 35, pages 117-137, June.
    3. Morné Oosthuizen, 2019. "Inequality and the generational economy: Race-disaggregated National Transfer Accounts for South Africa, 2015," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-24, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Hippolyte d'Albis & Carole Bonnet & Xavier Chojnicki & Najat El Mekkaoui & Angela Greulich & Jérôme Hubert & Julien Navaux, 2019. "Financing the Consumption of the Young and Old in France," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 45(1), pages 103-132, March.
    5. Gál, Róbert I. & Szabó, Endre & Vargha, Lili, 2015. "The age-profile of invisible transfers: The true size of asymmetry in inter-age reallocations," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 5(C), pages 98-104.
    6. Abio, Gemma & Patxot, Concepció & Souto, Guadalupe & Istenič, Tanja, 2021. "The role of gender, education and family in the welfare organization: Disaggregating National Transfer Accounts," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    7. Gál, Róbert Iván & Szabó, Endre & Vargha, Lili, 2015. "A láthatatlan transzferek korprofilja. Az aszimmetria valódi mértéke a korosztályok közötti erőforrás-átcsoportosítás rendszerében [The age profile of invisible transfers: the true degree of asymme," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(6), pages 621-637.
    8. Spielauer, Martin & Horvath, Thomas & Fink, Marian & Abio, Gemma & Souto, Guadalupe & Patxot, Ció & Istenič, Tanja, 2022. "Measuring the lifecycle impact of welfare state policies in the face of ageing," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-25.
    9. Concepció Patxot, 2023. "The long-term evolution of intergenerational transfers in Spain (1958-2012)," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2023/459, University of Barcelona School of Economics.
    10. Miguel Sánchez-Romero & Gemma Abío & Montserrat Botey & Alexia Prskawetz & Joze Sambt & Meritxell Solé Juvés & Guadalupe Souto & Lili Vargha & Concepció Patxot, 2019. "Welfare state winners and losers in ageing societies," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 17(1), pages 009-036.
    11. Solé, Meritxell & Souto, Guadalupe & Renteria, Elisenda & Papadomichelakis, Giorgos & Patxot, Concepció, 2020. "Protecting the elderly and children in times of crisis: An analysis based on National Transfer Accounts," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 15(C).
    12. Martin Spielauer & Thomas Horvath & Marian Fink & Gemma Abio & Guadalupe Souto Nieves & Concepció Patxot & Tanja Istenič, 2020. "microWELT: Microsimulation Projection of Full Generational Accounts for Austria and Spain," WIFO Working Papers 618, WIFO.

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    Keywords

    Spain; ageing; economic demography;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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