The reformulation of the median voter hypothesis and its testing proposed in Milanovic (2000) has been criticized from four different perspectives. The critiques are discussed and assessed. JEL classification: D31, E62

The steady rise in income and wealth inequality the last four decades, together with evolution of a vanishing middle class, has raised concerns about potentially pernicious effects these trends on social stability economic growth. This paper evaluates possibility designing tax systems aimed at reducing bipolarization. Using two fundamentally different metrics, we provide unified foundation prog...

We document the intergenerational mobility of Black and White American men from 1880 through 2000 by building new historical datasets for late nineteenth early twentieth century combining them with modern data to cover middle century. find large disparities in mobility, children having far better chances escaping bottom distribution than every generation. This gap was more important proximately...

This paper combines cross-sectional and longitudinal income data to present the evolution of absolute intergenerational mobility in ten advanced economies twentieth century. Absolute decreased during second half century all these countries. Increasing inequality decreasing growth rates have both contributed decrease, yet is dominant contributor most We show that detailed panel are effectively u...

This paper evaluates the role of rising income inequality in explaining observed growth college tuition. We develop a competitive model market, which quality depends on instructional expenditure and average ability admitted students. An innovative feature our is that it allows for continuous distribution quality. find increases US can explain more than half rise net tuition since 1990 has also ...

A dynamic microsimulation model of cohort earnings based on the Australian population aged between 20 and 55 years is described. A highly parsimonious modular structure is adopted to facilitate sensitivity analysis and enable additional characteristics to be added, should they be desired. Despite the restrictive specifications used, the model closely reflects the data used for calibration. JEL ...

We examine the association of income variability both within and across generations based on a heterogeneous growth model of permanent and transitory income in Sweden. Non-parametric regressions reveal that income variability is strongly associated with long-run levels of income, especially for lowand highincome earners, and that it is also strongly associated across generations. JEL Classifica...

We estimate intergenerational income mobility in Italy using administrative data from tax returns. Our estimates of are higher than prior work survey and indirect methods. The rankrank slope parent-child is 0.22, compared to 0.18 Denmark 0.34 the United States. probability that a child reaches top quintile national distribution starting family bottom 0.11. uncover substantial geographical varia...

We note some problems in Alesina and Angeletos (2005) and suggest a way to maintain the key insight of that paper, which is that a demand for fairness could lead to di¤erent economic systems such as those observed in France versus the US (multiple equilibria). JEL classi…cation: D31, E62, H2, P16.

Evidence on the pre-modern relationship between wealth and fertility has so far almost entirely relied upon data from Europe. We use British colonial records from early 19thcentury India on widow suicides (satis) to show that there is a robust positive relationship between income and fertility. JEL codes: J13, N35, D31