Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2024-01-24DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12359
Rasmus Wiese, Steffen Eriksen
{"title":"Willingness to pay for improved public education and public healthcare systems: the role of income mobility prospects","authors":"Rasmus Wiese, Steffen Eriksen","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12359","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1475-5890.12359","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Income mobility prospects affect individuals’ willingness to pay higher taxes, or give part of their income, to improve the public healthcare and public education systems. In line with the prospects of the upward mobility hypothesis, risk-willing individuals who expect to move far up the socio-economic ladder are less willing to pay compared with individuals who expect no upward transition. Consistent with a social insurance effect, risk-averse individuals who hold modest upward prospects are more willing to pay compared with individuals without upward prospects. These findings are based on more than 19,000 observations from the third round of the Life in Transition Survey.</p>","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"45 1","pages":"55-76"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1475-5890.12359","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139602020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-12-23DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12355
Michaela Benzeval, Thomas F. Crossley, Edith Aguirre
{"title":"A symposium on Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study: introduction","authors":"Michaela Benzeval, Thomas F. Crossley, Edith Aguirre","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12355","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12355","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study began in 2009, and built on and incorporated its predecessor the British Household Panel Survey. It is the largest survey of its kind in the world and provides rich opportunities for economic research and policy analysis. In this introduction to a symposium on Understanding Society, we review the main features of the study, how it is conducted, and evidence on data quality. We also discuss past and potential uses in economic research.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"67 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139035377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-12-23DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12352
Peter Levell, David Sturrock
{"title":"Using Understanding Society to study intergenerational wealth mobility in the UK","authors":"Peter Levell, David Sturrock","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12352","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study enables researchers to track individuals as they grow up and form new households, making it invaluable for studying the intergenerational persistence of outcomes including income, health and wealth. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Understanding Society relative to other datasets, and document patterns of attrition as individuals transition from childhood to adulthood. We then use Understanding Society to document the intergenerational persistence of wealth in the UK. We find that the intergenerational persistence of wealth is greater than for earnings, and that only around half of the intergenerational persistence of wealth can be explained by the intergenerational persistence in earnings and education.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139035385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-12-23DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12351
Annette Jäckle, Jonathan Burton, Mick P. Couper
{"title":"Understanding Society: minimising selection biases in data collection using mobile apps","authors":"Annette Jäckle, Jonathan Burton, Mick P. Couper","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12351","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12351","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study has a programme of research and development that underpins innovations in data collection methods. One of our current focuses is on using mobile applications to collect additional data that supplement data collected in annual interviews. To date, we have used mobile apps to collect data on consumer expenditure, well-being, anthropometrics and cognition. In this paper, we review the potential barriers to data collection using mobile apps and experimental evidence collected with the Understanding Society Innovation Panel, on what can be done to reduce these barriers.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139035389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-12-23DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12353
Paul Fisher, Omar Hussein
{"title":"Understanding Society: the income data","authors":"Paul Fisher, Omar Hussein","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12353","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12353","url":null,"abstract":"We introduce the income data of Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study. First, we show that the data are widely used in academic and policy research. We then discuss the pros and cons of different types of data on household incomes. We go on to describe the income content of Understanding Society, emphasising key details of data collection and data processing – specifically the derivation of net household income totals. We perform a quality assessment that compares Understanding Society estimates of net household incomes to those from a reliable cross-sectional source – the Households Below Average Income series. We conclude that the Understanding Society income data are of high quality, and so are an excellent source for research on the income distribution or incomes more generally. We finish with a discussion of future directions for income data collection in the study.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139035342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-12-23DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12354
Michaela Benzeval, Edith Aguirre, Meena Kumari
{"title":"Understanding Society: health, biomarker and genetic data","authors":"Michaela Benzeval, Edith Aguirre, Meena Kumari","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12354","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12354","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study includes a wide range of health measures, and in particular biomarker and genetic data. This makes it a unique resource for research on the economics of health. We review the main features of the biomarker data, how they are collected, and evidence on data quality. We also discuss examples of how these data have been used in economic research to date.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139035554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-12-23DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12357
Peter Lynn, Pablo Cabrera-Álvarez, Paul Clarke
{"title":"Sample composition and representativeness on Understanding Society","authors":"Peter Lynn, Pablo Cabrera-Álvarez, Paul Clarke","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12357","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12357","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we provide an overview of the sample design of Understanding Society and the consequent nature of design weights as well as a description of procedures that are implemented in order to maximise participation by sample members and procedures that are implemented to produce non-response adjustments to the design weights. We then present some indicators of sample representativeness at the initial wave and of the impact that subsequent sample attrition has on this before concluding with some reflections on the nature of representativeness and estimation methods in the context of a highly complex sample design and complex patterns of missing data arising from non-response.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139035383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-11-20DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12349
J. Michael Collins, Amrita Kulka
{"title":"Saving by buying ahead: stockpiling in response to lump-sum payments","authors":"J. Michael Collins, Amrita Kulka","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12349","url":null,"abstract":"By purchasing larger quantities of goods and saving them for future consumption households are able to reduce transaction costs and acquire goods at a lower price per unit, presuming they can manage the transportation and storage costs. This study uses variations in state income tax refunds over time to estimate consumption responses to lump-sum payments. Households purchase around 20 per cent more of easily stored toilet paper in the months in which tax refunds are issued, but do not increase purchases of perishables such as bread and eggs. In addition to purchasing more goods at a lower per-unit price, households also appear to increase the time until their next purchase, which implies that they are saving goods for consumption over time. These in-kind savings allow people to smooth their consumption over time, much like pecuniary savings. Government payments that provide lump-sum payments can benefit consumers by providing additional liquidity to buy and store goods at a lower cost.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138530577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-11-20DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12350
Hao Shi, Bing Ye
{"title":"Unfunded mandates and taxation","authors":"Hao Shi, Bing Ye","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12350","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1475-5890.12350","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In mid-2006, the Chinese central government increased the salaries and pensions of civil servants in the form of an unfunded mandate to local governments in its coastal areas but a funded mandate in others. On the basis of this policy distinction, we use the difference-in-difference (DiD) approach and find that this mid-2006 unfunded mandate to coastal areas triggered their local governments to raise additional budgetary revenue to balance the increase of their budgetary expenditure. This result is robust under other approaches, such as propensity score matching and the combination of DiD with regression discontinuity, as well as with the inclusion of confounding reforms. We also find that the rule of law helped restrict unfunded counties from passing on their financial burdens to the market. Moreover, following this mid-2006 unfunded mandate, Chinese coastal local governments increased their budgetary revenue by reducing corporate tax non-compliance and increasing the de facto corporate income tax rate. In addition, we find some evidence that the mid-2006 unfunded mandate in Chinese coastal areas inhibited production activities in these areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"45 1","pages":"77-106"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139258643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiscal StudiesPub Date : 2023-10-05DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12347
Mirko Draca, Colin Green, Swarnodeep Homroy
{"title":"Financing UK democracy: a stocktake of 20 years of political donations disclosure","authors":"Mirko Draca, Colin Green, Swarnodeep Homroy","doi":"10.1111/1475-5890.12347","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12347","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Political donations in the UK have been subject to comprehensive disclosure since 2001. We study the data produced as part of this disclosure policy to evaluate the role of private and public political finance over time. Total political donations have grown by nearly 250 per cent since 2001, reaching over £100 million in real terms for the first time in 2019. This increase has been driven by donations from private individuals, who now account for approximately 60% of donations in election years compared to 40–50 per cent up to the late 2010s. Furthermore, ‘super‐donors’ (those contributing more than £100,000) have been a prominent driver of the rise, increasing their own share from approximately 31 per cent in 2017 to 45 per cent in 2019. We also show that private donations to the Labour Party fell sharply in the final stages of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. These trends have benefited the Conservative Party, leading to a historic donation gap between the two main parties emerging circa 2019. We calculate that this gap between parties now stands at approximately £27 million compared to a historic average of £8–£10 million. This gap remains even after considering publicly funded ‘Short’ money provided to the opposition, which aims to increase competitive balance in the UK's democratic system.","PeriodicalId":51602,"journal":{"name":"Fiscal Studies","volume":"79 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135480863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}