Is the Welfare State Sustainable? Experimental Evidence on Citizens' Preferences for Redistribution

The sustainability of the welfare state ultimately depends on citizens' preferences for income redistribution. They are elicited through a Discrete Choice Experiment performed in 2008 in Switzerland. Attributes are redistribution as GDP share, its uses (the unemployed, old-age pensioners, people with ill health etc.), and nationality of beneficiary. Estimated marginal willingness to pay (WTP) is positive among those who deem benefits too low, and negative otherwise. However, even those who state that government should reduce income inequality exhibit a negative WTP on average. The major finding is that estimated average WTP is maximum at 21% of GDP, clearly below the current value of 25%. Thus, the present Swiss welfare state does not appear sustainable.Income redistribution; welfare state; sustainability; preferences; willingness to pay; discrete choice experiments

Economic Well-Being, Social Mobility, and Preferences for Income Redistribution: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment

In this paper, preferences for income redistribution in Switzerland are elicited through a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) performed in 2008. In addition to the amount of redistribution as a share of GDP, attributes also included its uses (working poor, the unemployed, old-age pensioners, families with children, people in ill health) and nationality of beneficiary (Swiss, Western European, others). Willingness to pay for redistribution increases with income and education, contradicting the conventional Meltzer-Richard (1981) model. The Prospect of Upward Mobility hypothesis [Hirschman and Rothschild (1973); Benabou and Ok (2001)] receives partial empirical support.Income redistribution, preferences, willingness to pay, discrete choice experiments, stated choice, economic well-being, social mobility

Income redistribution: how to divide the pie?

In this paper, we elicit preferences of Swiss citizens for the allocation of income redistribution to different uses through a Discrete Choice Experiment performed in 2008. Neustadt and Zweifel (2009} provide an estimate of the total desired amount of income redistribution as a share of disposable income. Here, we estimate marginal willingness-to-pay values for types of recipients (old-age pensioners, people with ill health, the unemployed, working poor, and families with children) and their nationality (Swiss, citizens of western European countries, others). Hypotheses derived from the insurance motive for redistribution receive some empirical support.Income redistribution, preferences, willingness to pay, discrete choice experiments, conjoint analysis, social status

Is the Welfare State Sustainable? Experimental Evidence on Citizens’ Preferences for Redistribution

The sustainability of the welfare state ultimately depends on citizens’ preferences for income redistribution. They are elicited through a Discrete Choice Experiment performed in 2008 in Switzerland. Attributes are redistribution as GDP share, its uses (the unemployed, old-age pensioners, people with ill health etc.), and nationality of beneficiary. Estimated marginal willingness to pay (WTP) is positive among those who deem benefits too low, and negative otherwise. However, even those who state that government should reduce income inequality exhibit a negative WTP on average. The major finding is that estimated average WTP is maximum at 21% of GDP, clearly below the current value of 25%. Thus, the present Swiss welfare state does not appear sustainable.Income redistribution, preferences, willingness to pay, welfare state, sustainability, discrete choice experiments

Is the Welfare State Sustainable? Experimental Evidence on Citizens' Preferences for Redistribution

The sustainability of the welfare state ultimately depends on citizens’ preferences for income redistribution. They are elicited through a Discrete Choice Experiment performed in 2008 in Switzerland. Attributes are redistribution as GDP share, its uses (the unemployed, old-age pensioners, people with ill health etc.), and nationality of beneficiary. Estimated marginal willingness to pay (WTP) is positive among those who deem benefits too low, and negative otherwise. However, even those who state that government should reduce income inequality exhibit a negative WTP on average. The major finding is that estimated average WTP is maximum at 21% of GDP, clearly below the current value of 25%. Thus, the present Swiss welfare state does not appear sustainable.income redistribution, welfare state, sustainability, preferences, willingness to pay, discrete choice experiments

Asteroid Belt Meteoroid Hazard Study

Mathematical models for probability of successful traverse of asteroid belt or zero penetration of spacecraft shiel

Control of functional differential equations with function space boundary conditions

Problems involving functional differential equations with terminal conditions in function space are considered. Their application to mechanical and electrical systems is discussed. Investigations of controllability, existence of optimal controls, and necessary and sufficient conditions for optimality are reported