Working Paper: NBER ID: w23027
Authors: Alberto Alesina; Stefanie Stantcheva; Edoardo Teso
Abstract: Using new cross-country survey and experimental data, we investigate how beliefs about intergenerational mobility affect preferences for redistribution in France, Italy, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S.. Americans are more optimistic than Europeans about social mobility. Our randomized treatment shows pessimistic information about mobility and increases support for redistribution, mostly for "equality of opportunity" policies. We find a strong political polarization. Left-wing respondents are more pessimistic about mobility, their preferences for redistribution are correlated with their mobility perceptions, and they support more redistribution after seeing pessimistic information. None of these apply to right-wing respondents, possibly because they see the government as a "problem" and not as the "solution."
Keywords: intergenerational mobility; redistribution; survey data; political polarization
JEL Codes: D31; D72; H21; H23; H24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| actual mobility (J62) | perceptions of mobility (J62) |
| belief in hard work (J29) | chances of escaping poverty (I32) |
| pessimistic information about mobility (J62) | perceptions of mobility (J62) |
| perceptions of mobility (J62) | support for redistribution (H23) |
| pessimism about mobility (J62) | support for redistribution (H23) |
| left-wing respondents (D79) | support for redistribution following pessimistic information (D80) |