When incomes are exogenously given, a progressive tax structure reduces inequality in the sense that the Lorenz curve of after tax incomes is nowhere below that of before tax incomes whatever the circumstances as it was shown by U. Jakobsson (Journal of Public Economics 5 (1976), 161-168) The...

This paper provides a normative appraisal of the Canadian equalization transfers system. For that sake, the two-dimensional dominance criteria introduced by Atkinson and Bourguignon(RES, 1982) are used to compare the distributions of private and public good before and after equalization...

We draw some lessons from the Tunisian experience of social reforms and associated unrest. Our main interest is the riots that occurred after subsidy cuts and the attempts at substitution of price subsidies by direct cash transfers. We propose new welfare indicators to assess reforms in such...

This paper provides a robust normative evaluation of the spectacular growth episode that India has experienced in the last 15 years. Specifically, the paper compares the evolution, between 1998, 1996 and 2001 of the distribution of several important individual attributes on the basis of...

Dans l'ouvrage que Van Parijs a consacre en 1995 aux fondements philosophiques et economiques du projet d'allocation universelle, le chapitre IV est dedie au probleme du financement "soutenable" d'une telle mesure. Les "rentes associees aux emplois" y sont presentees comme un troisieme type de...

En matiere de justice sociale, Hayek suscite un commentaire ambivalent: sous-produit d'une demarche evolutionnists, sa coherence et son realisme sont dificiles a prendre en defaut, consequences de fortes convictions liberales, la formulation adoptee est souvent provocante. A l'egard du "mirage...

This paper introduces a new methodology to target direct transfers against poverty. Our method is based on observable correlates and on estimation methods that focus on the poor. Using data from Tunisia, we estimate ÔfocusedÕ transfer schemes that improve anti-poverty targeting performances....

Cet article etudie la question des permis de pollution dans le cadre d'un modele a generations imbriquees: la pollution resulte de l'utilisation de l'environnement dans le processus de production et constitue un externalite negative qui vient diminuer l'utilite des agents.

We study time-consistent labor and capital income linear taxation using an infinite-horizon overlapping generations model of a small open economy. In dividuals have different productivities and the government intervenes for purely redistributive purposes. The study of time-consistent taxation...

The debate about whether culture should be subsidized or not is far from being recent, and though problems and approaches vary across countries, most governments are in favour of supporting the arts in one way or the other. The literature considers several arguments in favour of such subsidies....