This paper surveys the rise of income inequality in affluent nations. Social programs are critical to keeping inequality in check, but their sustainability is increasingly threatened. A possible solution is high levels of employment.
According to the ‘median-voter’ hypothesis, greater inequality in the market distribution of earnings or income tends to produce greater generosity in redistributive policy. We outline the steps in the causal chain specified by the hypothesis and attempt to assess these steps empirically. Prior studies focusing on cross-country variation have found little support for the median-voter model. We examine ...
In the light of persistent regional disparities in Germany, a wide range of studies discuss the role of regional characteristics in explaining the mobility behavior of individuals. Although multi-stage mobility theories underline the importance of regional structures particularly within the first stage of the decision-making process – whereas the actual mobility behavior is often seen as being dependent ...