| Resumen: |
Income redistribution differs widely across countries. Several theories have been developed to account for such differences. However, we know little about their relative importance. This paper fills this gap, contrasting the main theories of preferences for redistribution in a unified empirical framework. We implement standardized hypothetical choices of income redistribution in nationally representative samples of Germany, Italy, Japan, Slovenia, the UK, and the US. We find that the beliefs in fair opportunities for upward mobility are the strongest predictor of demand for redistribution. Surprisingly, higher trust in government correlates with a lower demand. The perception of immigrants as a threat to society also significantly reduces preferences for redistribution, whereas other factors, such as self-interest, social capital, and incentivized measures of pro-sociality, play lesser roles. |
