2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Income Differentials and The Redistributional Effects of the Tax and Social Security System in Japan
| Project/Area Number |
14530109
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Public finance/Monetary economics
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
OHTAKE Fumio Osaka University, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Professor, 社会経済研究所, 教授 (50176913)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Keywords | income inequality / redistribution policy / risk aversion / mine of population / old-age pension system for active employees / labor supply |
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| Research Abstract |
・Using an original dataset, we investigated the determinants of individual preferences Over income redistribution in Japan. Although income level is negatively correlated with support for redistribution, it does not explain much ; there are other important factors, which relate to dynamics and uncertainty such as income risk. Even after controlling for income, both risk-averse individuals and those who expect to be unemployed in the future favor greater redistribution. Interaction of aging and mobility proved important. Relatively poor elderly, who presumably have few prospects of upward mobility, strongly support greater redistribution, whereas younger people are less sympathetic to such a policy. (Ohtake and Tomioka (2004)
・We analyze the impact of the old-age pension system for active employees on the employment behavior of elderly persons using the differences-in-differences method and the estimation of dynamic labor supply models. Data comes from "Surveys on Employment of Older Per
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sons." Both the differences-in-differences method and the estimated dynamic labor supply models showed that the old-age pension system for active employees restrains the supply of workers in their early sixties (60 to 65 years of age). Effects of the reform of the system in 1995 were analyzed. The differences-in-differences method revealed that the reform affected the decision to work or not, especially for elderly persons on a small pension, but did not affect working hours. The estimated dynamic labor supply models revealed no significant marginal tax rate effects of the pension system around 1995. The estimated wage elasticities, which were estimated by pooling data for 1988, 1992, and 1996, were relatively high, ranging from 0.2 to 0.6. (Ohtake and Yamaga (2004))
・Are unemployed persons less happy than employed workers? I introduce studies regarding this issue which have been conducted in Overseas countries. Subsequently, the effects that unemployment has on happiness are examined empirically using micro data from Japan. The findings revealed that unemployed persons are less happy than employed workers even when various individual factors such as income and age are controlled, as previous researchers have found in studies implemented in other developed countries. If these results are correct, job creation policy is considered to be more effective than redistribution policy in order to increase the level of subjective welfare people (Ohtake (2004)). Less
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