Publication: Trust in Government and Support for Redistribution
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2016-05
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2016-06-13
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In many countries safety nets consist predominantly of universal subsidies on food and fuel. A key question for policy makers willing to shift to targeted safety nets is under what conditions middle-class citizens would be supportive of redistributive programs. Results from a behavioral experiment based on a nationally representative sample in Jordan reveal that increasing transparency in benefit delivery makes middle-class citizens (particularly among the youth and low-trust individuals) more willing to forgo their own welfare to benefit the poor. Moreover, increasing transparency enhances the relative support for cash-based safety nets, which have greater impact on poverty compared with in-kind transfers, but may be perceived as more prone to elite capture.
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“Morgandi, Matteo; Silva, Joana; Levin, Victoria. 2016. Trust in Government and Support for Redistribution. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7675. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24514 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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