We analyze the taxation of top personal incomes in Germany on the basis of an integrated data file of individual tax returns and a general household survey for the years 1992 – 2002 which includes all taxpayers in the top percentile of the gross income distribution. We show that the distribution of the tax burden is highly concentrated, and that German income taxation has remained effectively p...

"A common hypothesis regarding the distribution of income is that it tends to become more unequal in the initial and middle stages of economic development, in part because of demographic changes. However, previous studies of the effect of demographic changes on income distribution are not based on the underlying micro determinants of the income components." In the present paper, "the micro de...

I quantitatively study the optimal capital income taxation in the general equilibrium overlapping generations model with uninsurable idiosyncratic income shocks and with housing and flnancial assets. Following key characteristics of housing are explicitly modeled: (i) housing is held for the dual purpose of consumption and savings, (ii) housing can be either owned or rented, (iii) if owned, hou...

Based on the existing literature on worldview beliefs, cynical hostility, and Machiavellian cynicism, we suggest that holding cynical beliefs about human nature can be detrimental for individuals’ income. Cynical individuals are more likely to avoid cooperation and trust or to overinvest in monitoring, control, and other means of protection from potential exploitation. As a result, they are mor...

This paper presents the first laboratory study of risk-sharing without commitment. Our experiment captures the main features of a simple model of voluntary insurance between two agents. In the model, two individuals interact over a potential infinite horizon and suffer random income shocks. Risk-averse individuals have incentives to smooth consumption by making transfers to each other. These tr...

In Ireland, as in many other countries, much health care provision is State funded and State provided. Equity, in the sense of equality of ‘treatment’ for individuals with the same health needs irrespective of their geographical locations, or incomes, has been, and is, very much stressed as an appropriate policy objective. However, health care delivery in Ireland (and in some other countries in...

The Bolivian Amazon holds a complex configuration of people and forested landscapes in which communities hold secure tenure rights over a rich ecosystem offering a range of livelihood income opportunities. A large share of this income is derived from Amazon nut (Bertholletia excelsa). Many communities also have long-standing experience with community timber management plans. However, livelihood...

According to the nature of their activities, banks are exposed to various types of risks. Hence, risk management is at the heart of financial institutions management. In this study, we intend to summarize the information content of bank financial statements on diverse risks faced by banks and then determine how stock markets react to bank's risk management behavior. The methodology used in this...