%0 Report
        %A Schwarze, Johannes
%A Härpfer, Marco
        %T Are People Inequality Averse, and Do They Prefer Redistribution by the State? A Revised Version
        %D 2003
        %8 2003 Dec
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 974
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp974
        %X We link life-satisfaction data to inequality of the pre- and post-government income distribution
at the regional level, to estimate the degree of inequality aversion. Three different inequality
measures are used. In addition, we investigate whether a reduction in inequality by the state
increases individual well-being. We find only weak evidence that Germans are inequality
averse. Inequality reduction by the state does not increase wellbeing. On the contrary,
inequality reduction imposes an excess burden on middle-income earners. The paper uses
data from the German Socio-economic Panel Study (GSOEP) from 1985 to 1998.
        %K life satisfaction
%K redistribution
%K inequality aversion
%K panel data