The Evolution of Income Inequality During the Rise of the Swedish Welfare State 1951 to 1973

We analyse the change in family gross income inequality between 1951 and 1973. We use two new samples of the Swedish population from 1951 and 1956 containing tax register data, and compare the results with those obtained from the Swedish Level of Living survey from 1967 and 1973. Gini coefficients, four different Generalised entropy measures as well as decile group shares of total income are calculated. We also do two different decompositions: one between different demographic groups and one between the male and female component of family income. Finally, we examine to what extent zero family income records really reflect low economic welfare by using interview data from the 1968 Swedish Level of Living Survey.Income distribution; Household income

Income Security Programs and Retirement in Sweden

We examine the effects of economic incentives inherent in pension schemes and income security programs on retirement behavior in the Swedish labor market. We use social security wealth and three alternative measures of accrual (one-year benefit accrual, peak value and option value). The social security system, occupational pensions as well as insurance on the labor market, i.e., unemployment, sickness and disability insurance are considered. We estimate a model using panel data on about 30 000 men and women born between 1927 and 1940, observed between 1983 and 1997. The model is then used to simulate the effects of two alternative systems: one where eligibility for benefits in the prevailing system is delayed by three years and another where replacement levels are reduced.benefit accrual; peak value; option value; disability insurance

Intergenerational Mobility, Human Capital Transmission and the Earnings of Second-Generation Immigrants in Sweden

We compare the intergenerational earnings mobility of immigrants with natives in Sweden. We find an overall convergence in average earnings between immigrants and natives. This convergence hides a divergence in average earnings between groups of immigrants with different ethnic origins. We find that, on average, immigrants have a lower intergenerational earnings mobility, also (on average) within groups with similar ethnic backgrounds. Immigrants with a relatively low intergenerational earnings mobility increased their average earnings more in the second generation, thereby supporting the idea that low intergenerational earnings mobility can be interpreted as a high degree of intergenerational transmission of human capital.intergenerational income mobility; intergenerational earnings correlation; Becker-Tomes model; ethnic capital

Estimating Compensating Wage Differentials from Worker Mobility

We estimate the effects of the implementation of a compulsory work injury insurance in Sweden in 1978 on compensating wage differentials. This involves two steps. First, we investigate if there are compensating wage differentials on the Swedish labor market and second, we assess if these were altered by the reform. We use panel data for the period 1970 to 1990 with annual information for a sample of blue collar workers. The econometric model departs from the worker's job mobility decision. Endogeneity, selection and measurement errors of risk exposure are considered in the estimation. The estimates show significant compensating wage differentials for work-related diseases in the female sub-sample. No significant effect of the reform was found.Work injury insurance; Panel data

The Evolution of Income Inequality During the Rise of the Swedish Welfare State1951 to 1973

We analyse the change in family gross income inequality between 1951 and 1973. We use two new samples of the Swedish population from 1951 and 1956 containing tax register data, and compare the results with those obtained from the Swedish Level of Living survey from 1967 and 1973. Gini coefficients, four different Generalised entropy measures as well as decile group shares of total income are calculated. We also do two different decompositions: one between different demographic groups and one between the male and female component of family income. Finally, we examine to what extent zero family income records really reflect low economic welfare by using interview data from the 1968 Swedish Level of Living Survey.

Moral hazard and sickness insurance: Empirical evidence from a sickness insurance reform in Sweden

We use a reform of Sweden’s sickness insurance system as a source of exogenous variation to analyse the presence of moral hazard. As a result of the reform, the replacement level was reduced from 90 percent of forgone earnings to 65 percent for the first three days; to 80 percent between day 4 and 90; and remained at 90 percent after 90 days. We find that the incidence of work absence decreased due to the decrease in compensation level and that effect on duration is in accordance with moral hazard in the sickness insurance. We estimate the elasticities of the incidence with respect to forgone earning to -1 for males and -0.70 for females.Worker absenteeism; Cox proportional hazard models; regression-discontinuity

Disability Insurance, Population Health and Employment in Sweden

This paper describes the development of population health and disability insurance utilization for older workers in Sweden and analyses the relation between the two. We use three different measures of population health: (1) the mortality rate (measured between 1950 and 2009); (2) the prevalence of different types of health deficiencies obtained from Statistics Sweden’s Survey on Living Conditions (ULF, 1975-2005); (3) the utilization of health care from the inpatient register (1968–2008). We also study the development of the relative health between disability insurance recipients and non-recipients. Finally, we study the effect of the introduction of less strict eligibility criteria for older workers in 1970 and 1972 as well as the subsequent abolishment of these rules in 1991 and 1997, respectively.Disability insurance; Population health