%0 Report %A Giertz, Seth H. %A Tosun, Mehmet S. %T Migration Elasticities, Fiscal Federalism and the Ability of States to Redistribute Income %D 2012 %8 2012 Aug %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) %C Bonn %7 IZA Discussion Paper %N 6798 %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp6798 %X This paper develops a simulation model in order to examine the effectiveness of state attempts at redistribution under a variety of migration elasticity assumptions. Key outputs from the simulation include the impact of tax-induced migration on state revenues, excess burden, and fiscal externalities. With modest migration elasticities, the costs of state-level redistribution are substantial, but state action may still be preferred to a federal policy that is at odds with preferences of a state's citizens. At higher migration elasticities, the costs of state action can be tremendous. Overall excess burden is greater, but this is dominated by horizontal fiscal externalities. Horizontal fiscal externalities represent a cost to the state pursuing additional redistribution, but not a cost at the national level. %K excess burden %K income redistribution %K fiscal federalism %K fiscal externalities %K deadweight loss