Welcome to the new-look MARS. See something that needs attention? Use our "Send Feedback" link at page bottom.
 

Positional Externalities as an Argument for Tax Progressivity: A Critical Analysis

Date

2013-08

Authors

Quain, Anthony James

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

In the last forty years, social science research has demonstrated that individuals care significantly about relative ("positional") economic well-being and that gains in private income and/or consumption thereby cast a negative externality on other individuals whose own income and/or consumption declines in relative terms. To resolve the externality, a progressive income or consumption tax has been advocated. In this dissertation I present three papers that critically analyze tax progressivity as a response to positional externalities.

Description

Keywords

Economics, Economic theory, Adaptation, Envy, Income Averaging, Positional Externality, Progressive Taxation, Reciprocal Externality

Citation