The Welfare State in Transition

The Welfare State in Transition
Author: Richard B. Freeman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2008-04-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0226261859

Once heralded in the 1950s and 1960s as a model welfare state, Sweden is now in transition and in trouble since its economic plunge in the early 1990s. This volume presents ten essays that examine Sweden's economic problems from a U.S. perspective. Exploring such diverse topics as income equalization and efficiency, welfare and tax policy, wage determination and unemployment, and international competitiveness and growth, they consider how Sweden's welfare state succeeded in eliminating poverty and became a role model for other countries. They then reflect on Sweden's past economic problems, such as the increase in government spending and the fall in industrial productivity, warning of problems to come. Finally they review the consequences of the collapse of Sweden's economy in the early 1990s, exploring the implications of its efforts to reform its welfare state and reestablish a healthy economy. This volume will be of interest to policymakers and analysts, social scientists, and economists interested in welfare states.

How Does Taxation Affect Hours Worked in EU New Member States?

How Does Taxation Affect Hours Worked in EU New Member States?
Author: Agustin Velasquez
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2019-06-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1498321143

Hours worked vary widely across countries and over time. In this paper, we investigate the role played by taxation in explaining these differences for EU New Member States. By extending a standard growth model with novel data on consumption and labor taxes, we assess the evolution of trends in hours worked over the 1995-2017 period. We find that the inclusion of tax rates in the model significantly improves the tracking of hours. We also estimate the elasticity of hours (and its different margins) to quantify the deadweight loss introduced by consumption and labor taxes. We find that these taxes explain a large share of labor supply differences across EU New Member States and that the potential gains from policy actions are noteworthy.

Reforming the Welfare State

Reforming the Welfare State
Author: Richard B. Freeman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2010-04-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0226261913

Over the course of the twentieth century, Sweden carried out one of the most ambitious experiments by a capitalist market economy in developing a large and active welfare state. Sweden's generous social programs and the economic equality they fostered became an example for other countries to emulate. Of late, Sweden has also been much discussed as a model of how to deal with financial and economic crisis, due to the country's recovery from a banking crisis in the mid-1990s. At that time economists heatedly debated whether the welfare state caused Sweden's crisis and should be reformed—a debate with clear parallels to current concerns over capitalism. Bringing together leading economists, Reforming the Welfare State examines Sweden's policies in response to the mid-1990s crisis and the implications for the subsequent recovery. Among the issues investigated are the way changes in the labor market, tax and benefit policies, local government policy, industrial structure, and international trade affected Sweden's recovery. The way that Sweden addressed its economic challenges provides valuable insight into the viability of large welfare states, and more broadly, into the way modern economies deal with crisis.

The Swedish Economy

The Swedish Economy
Author: Barry P. Bosworth
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2010-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0815719582

This books examines economic conditions and policies in Sweden. Topics include adjusting to slower economic growth, labor markets, taxation, the public sector, and Swedish political foundations.

The Shadow Economy

The Shadow Economy
Author: Friedrich Schneider
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2013-02-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1107034841

This book presents new data to give an overview of shadow economies from OECD countries and propose solutions to prevent illicit work.

Incentives and Redistribution in the Welfare State

Incentives and Redistribution in the Welfare State
Author: Jonas Agell
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2016-01-20
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 033399485X

This book reviews the lessons from the Swedish 1991 tax reform, the most far-reaching tax reform in any Western industrialized country in the post-war period. The authors discuss a range of behavioural responses (including tax planning, savings, labour supply, investment, etc.), and assess the overall effects on efficiency and equity. They also draw lessons for tax reform more generally. The book should be of interest to anyone with an interest in tax policy and tax reform evaluation.

Taxing the Family

Taxing the Family
Author: Rudolph Gerhard Penner
Publisher: A E I Press
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1983
Genre: Law
ISBN:

Conference report on fiscal policy issues relating to family taxation in the USA - discusses horizontal equity questions of income tax and capital tax treatments; considers dual career couples, the marriage penalty, and large versus small households; examines tax system and social security biases against the married woman worker and in favour of the homemaker; argues for incremental tax reforms. References. Conference held in Washington 1981 Oct 13.