Democracy, Wages and Inequality: Institutional and Fiscal Channels of Redistribution
2011/09/13
研討會日期 : 2011-09-13
時間 : 14:30
主講人 : Professor Elaine S. Tan
地點 : Conference Room B110
演講者簡介 : Elaine S. Tan received her Ph.D. in Economics from Cambridge University in 2001. She is currently serving as Associate Professor of Economics at Royal Holloway University of London. Her research field is in industrial economics, institutions, law and economics, and economic history.
演講摘要 : The median-voter theorem hypothesizes that greater democracy may result in higher wages and lower inequality. This may work through two channels. The first channel is institutional: as masses acquire greater political voice, pro-labor changes in laws and regulations are enacted. The second channel is through fiscal expenditure in which government spending distributes resources to the less well-off. Using data from Britain and Ireland during a time when voting rights were extended gradually, we find greater democracy increased state spending on education and public amenities, but these had relatively small effects on wages and inequality. Of greater significance were institutional and labor productivity changes.
