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Cited by 431

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Why Doesn't the US Have a European-Style Welfare System?

Open access
Alesina, Alberto, Glaeser, Edward, Sacerdote, Bruce·2001·National Bureau of Economic Research
DOI 10.3386/w8524
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Abstract

European countries are much more generous to the poor relative to the US level of generosity.Economic models suggest that redistribution is a function of the variance and skewness of the pre-tax income distribution, the volatility of income (perhaps because of trade shocks), the social costs of taxation and the expected income mobility of the median voter.None of these factors appear to explain the differences between the US and Europe.Instead, the differences appear to be the result of racial heterogeneity in the US and American political institutions.Racial animosity in the US makes redistribution to the poor, who are disproportionately black, unappealing to many voters.American political institutions limited the growth of a socialist party, and more generally limited the political power of the poor.

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Metadata

Authors
Alesina, A., Glaeser, E., & Sacerdote, B.
Venue
National Bureau of Economic Research
Publisher
National Bureau of Economic Research
Published
2001-10
DOI
10.3386/w8524
OpenAlex
W2106676663
Cited by
431
References
55
Type
report
Language
en
Open access
green

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Why Doesn't the US Have a European-Style Welfare System? https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.3386/w8524
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Alesina, A., Glaeser, E., & Sacerdote, B. (2001). Why Doesn't the US Have a European-Style Welfare System? National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w8524

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