Ideology, Tactics, and Efficiency in Redistributive Politics

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 1998
Volume: 113
Issue: 2
Pages: 497-529

Authors (2)

Avinash Dixit (Princeton University) John Londregan (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

4.036 = (α=2.02 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We model the electoral politics of redistribution when voters and parties care about inequality in addition to their private concerns for consumption and votes, respectively. Ideological concerns about income redistribution lead each party to adopt a general proportional income tax, adjusted to appeal to the ideological leanings of high "clout" groups, with disproportionately many "swing" voters, which the parties also ply with pork-barrel projects. Our results relate to "Director's Law," which says that redistributive politics favors middle classes at the expense of both rich and poor.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:113:y:1998:i:2:p:497-529
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25