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.

Economic Applications of Quantile Regression

Economic Applications of Quantile Regression
Author: Bernd Fitzenberger
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3662115921

Quantile regression has emerged as an essential statistical tool of contemporary empirical economics and biostatistics. Complementing classical least squares regression methods which are designed to estimate conditional mean models, quantile regression provides an ensemble of techniques for estimating families of conditional quantile models, thus offering a more complete view of the stochastic relationship among variables. This volume collects 12 outstanding empirical contributions in economics and offers an indispensable introduction to interpretation, implementation, and inference aspects of quantile regression.

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.

Taxation, Wage Bargaining, and Unemployment

Taxation, Wage Bargaining, and Unemployment
Author: Isabela Mares
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2006-02-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107320909

Why were European economies able to pursue the simultaneous commitment to full employment and welfare state expansion during the first decades of the postwar period and why did this virtuous relationship break down during recent decades? This book provides an answer to this question, by highlighting the critical importance of a political exchange between unions and governments, premised on wage moderation in exchange for the expansion of social services and transfers. The strategies pursued by these actors in these political exchanges are influenced by existing wage bargaining institutions, the character of monetary policy and by the level and composition of social policy transfers. The book demonstrates that the gradual growth in the fiscal burden has undermined the effectiveness of this political exchange, lowering the ability of unions' wage policies to affect employment outcomes.

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.

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.