Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity

Empirical studies of tax and benefit incidence routinely ignore behavioral responses and measurement errors. This paper offers an econometric method of estimating the mean benefit withdrawal rate (marginal tax rate) allowing for incentive effects,...

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Main Authors: Ravallion, Martin, Chen, Shaohua
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2013
Subjects:
WAR
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/08/18111657/benefit-incidence-incentive-effects-measurement-errors-latent-heterogeneity-benefit-incidence-incentive-effects-measurement-errors-latent-heterogeneity
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16006
id okr-10986-16006
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-160062021-04-23T14:03:27Z Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity Ravallion, Martin Chen, Shaohua ABSOLUTE VALUE ACCOUNTING AGGREGATE INCOME ANTI-POVERTY AVERAGE INCOME AVERAGE RATE BASE YEAR BENCHMARK CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS CASH TRANSFERS CHILD LABOR CLASSICAL ECONOMISTS DATA SETS DEMOCRACY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT POLICY DISTRIBUTIONAL IMPACT DOWNWARD BIAS ECONOMETRICS ECONOMIC BENEFITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC HISTORY ECONOMIC INEQUALITY ECONOMIC POLICIES ECONOMIC RESEARCH ECONOMIC REVIEW ECONOMIC STUDIES ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION ECONOMICS ELASTICITY ELASTICITY OF SUBSTITUTION EMPIRICAL STUDIES EMPLOYMENT INCOME EXPECTED VALUE EXPLANATORY VARIABLES FINANCIAL CRISIS GROWTH RATES HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD NEEDS HOUSEHOLD SURVEY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IMPACT ON POVERTY INCENTIVE EFFECTS INCIDENCE ANALYSIS INCOME INCOME COMPONENTS INCOME DISTRIBUTION INCOME GAP INCOME INEQUALITY INCOME LEVEL INCOME POVERTY INCOME SHOCKS INCOME SOURCES INCOME TAXATION INCOME TRANSFER INCOMES INEQUALITY INEQUALITY AVERSION INNOVATION INSURANCE LABOR FORCE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION LABOR MARKET LABOR MARKETS LABOR SUPPLY LABOUR LABOUR MARKET LABOUR SUPPLY LINEAR REGRESSION MEAN INCOME MEASUREMENT ERROR MEASUREMENT ERRORS NEGATIVE CORRELATION NOMINAL RATE OLD AGE OPEN UNEMPLOYMENT POLICY CHANGES POLICY DESIGN POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY MAKING POLICY REFORM POLICY RESEARCH POLITICAL ECONOMY POOR POOR COUNTRIES POOR PEOPLE POSITIVE CORRELATION POVERTY ALLEVIATION POVERTY GAP POVERTY IMPACT POVERTY LINE POVERTY LINES POVERTY MEASURE POVERTY REDUCTION POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVE PRIVATE TRANSFERS PUBLIC ECONOMICS PUBLIC POLICY PUBLIC SPENDING RANDOM EFFECTS REDISTRIBUTION POLICIES REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES REDUCING POVERTY RURAL SAFETY SAFETY NET SAFETY NETS SERIAL CORRELATION SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SOCIAL DEMOCRACY SOCIAL POLICIES SOCIAL POLICY SOCIAL PROGRAMS SOCIAL SAFETY SOCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL SPENDING TARGETING TAXATION UNEMPLOYED UNEMPLOYMENT WAGES WAR WEALTH WELFARE SYSTEM WORKING HOURS marginal tax fiscal incidence optimal taxation transfers poverty Empirical studies of tax and benefit incidence routinely ignore behavioral responses and measurement errors. This paper offers an econometric method of estimating the mean benefit withdrawal rate (marginal tax rate) allowing for incentive effects, measurement errors, and correlated latent heterogeneity in incidence. Under the method's identifying assumptions, a feasible instrumental variables estimator corrects for incentive effects and measurement errors, and provides a bound for the true value when there is correlated incidence heterogeneity. A case study for a large cash transfer program in China indicates that past methods of assessing benefit incidence using either nominal official rates or raw tabulations from survey data are deceptive. The program entails a nominal 100 percent benefit withdrawal rate -- a poverty trap. However, the paper finds that the actual rate is much lower, and clearly too low in the light of the literature on optimal income taxation. The paper discusses likely reasons based on the qualitative observations. 2013-10-02T13:56:32Z 2013-10-02T13:56:32Z 2013-08 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/08/18111657/benefit-incidence-incentive-effects-measurement-errors-latent-heterogeneity-benefit-incidence-incentive-effects-measurement-errors-latent-heterogeneity http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16006 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No.6573 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research China
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic ABSOLUTE VALUE
ACCOUNTING
AGGREGATE INCOME
ANTI-POVERTY
AVERAGE INCOME
AVERAGE RATE
BASE YEAR
BENCHMARK
CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS
CASH TRANSFERS
CHILD LABOR
CLASSICAL ECONOMISTS
DATA SETS
DEMOCRACY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DISTRIBUTIONAL IMPACT
DOWNWARD BIAS
ECONOMETRICS
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC HISTORY
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
ECONOMIC POLICIES
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ECONOMIC REVIEW
ECONOMIC STUDIES
ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
ECONOMICS
ELASTICITY
ELASTICITY OF SUBSTITUTION
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
EMPLOYMENT INCOME
EXPECTED VALUE
EXPLANATORY VARIABLES
FINANCIAL CRISIS
GROWTH RATES
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD NEEDS
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
IMPACT ON POVERTY
INCENTIVE EFFECTS
INCIDENCE ANALYSIS
INCOME
INCOME COMPONENTS
INCOME DISTRIBUTION
INCOME GAP
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVEL
INCOME POVERTY
INCOME SHOCKS
INCOME SOURCES
INCOME TAXATION
INCOME TRANSFER
INCOMES
INEQUALITY
INEQUALITY AVERSION
INNOVATION
INSURANCE
LABOR FORCE
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKETS
LABOR SUPPLY
LABOUR
LABOUR MARKET
LABOUR SUPPLY
LINEAR REGRESSION
MEAN INCOME
MEASUREMENT ERROR
MEASUREMENT ERRORS
NEGATIVE CORRELATION
NOMINAL RATE
OLD AGE
OPEN UNEMPLOYMENT
POLICY CHANGES
POLICY DESIGN
POLICY DISCUSSIONS
POLICY MAKING
POLICY REFORM
POLICY RESEARCH
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POOR
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR PEOPLE
POSITIVE CORRELATION
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
POVERTY GAP
POVERTY IMPACT
POVERTY LINE
POVERTY LINES
POVERTY MEASURE
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVE
PRIVATE TRANSFERS
PUBLIC ECONOMICS
PUBLIC POLICY
PUBLIC SPENDING
RANDOM EFFECTS
REDISTRIBUTION POLICIES
REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES
REDUCING POVERTY
RURAL
SAFETY
SAFETY NET
SAFETY NETS
SERIAL CORRELATION
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
SOCIAL POLICIES
SOCIAL POLICY
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
SOCIAL SAFETY
SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL SPENDING
TARGETING
TAXATION
UNEMPLOYED
UNEMPLOYMENT
WAGES
WAR
WEALTH
WELFARE SYSTEM
WORKING HOURS
marginal tax
fiscal incidence
optimal taxation
transfers
poverty
spellingShingle ABSOLUTE VALUE
ACCOUNTING
AGGREGATE INCOME
ANTI-POVERTY
AVERAGE INCOME
AVERAGE RATE
BASE YEAR
BENCHMARK
CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS
CASH TRANSFERS
CHILD LABOR
CLASSICAL ECONOMISTS
DATA SETS
DEMOCRACY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DISTRIBUTIONAL IMPACT
DOWNWARD BIAS
ECONOMETRICS
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC HISTORY
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
ECONOMIC POLICIES
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ECONOMIC REVIEW
ECONOMIC STUDIES
ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
ECONOMICS
ELASTICITY
ELASTICITY OF SUBSTITUTION
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
EMPLOYMENT INCOME
EXPECTED VALUE
EXPLANATORY VARIABLES
FINANCIAL CRISIS
GROWTH RATES
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD NEEDS
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
IMPACT ON POVERTY
INCENTIVE EFFECTS
INCIDENCE ANALYSIS
INCOME
INCOME COMPONENTS
INCOME DISTRIBUTION
INCOME GAP
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVEL
INCOME POVERTY
INCOME SHOCKS
INCOME SOURCES
INCOME TAXATION
INCOME TRANSFER
INCOMES
INEQUALITY
INEQUALITY AVERSION
INNOVATION
INSURANCE
LABOR FORCE
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKETS
LABOR SUPPLY
LABOUR
LABOUR MARKET
LABOUR SUPPLY
LINEAR REGRESSION
MEAN INCOME
MEASUREMENT ERROR
MEASUREMENT ERRORS
NEGATIVE CORRELATION
NOMINAL RATE
OLD AGE
OPEN UNEMPLOYMENT
POLICY CHANGES
POLICY DESIGN
POLICY DISCUSSIONS
POLICY MAKING
POLICY REFORM
POLICY RESEARCH
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POOR
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR PEOPLE
POSITIVE CORRELATION
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
POVERTY GAP
POVERTY IMPACT
POVERTY LINE
POVERTY LINES
POVERTY MEASURE
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVE
PRIVATE TRANSFERS
PUBLIC ECONOMICS
PUBLIC POLICY
PUBLIC SPENDING
RANDOM EFFECTS
REDISTRIBUTION POLICIES
REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES
REDUCING POVERTY
RURAL
SAFETY
SAFETY NET
SAFETY NETS
SERIAL CORRELATION
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
SOCIAL POLICIES
SOCIAL POLICY
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
SOCIAL SAFETY
SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL SPENDING
TARGETING
TAXATION
UNEMPLOYED
UNEMPLOYMENT
WAGES
WAR
WEALTH
WELFARE SYSTEM
WORKING HOURS
marginal tax
fiscal incidence
optimal taxation
transfers
poverty
Ravallion, Martin
Chen, Shaohua
Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity
geographic_facet China
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No.6573
description Empirical studies of tax and benefit incidence routinely ignore behavioral responses and measurement errors. This paper offers an econometric method of estimating the mean benefit withdrawal rate (marginal tax rate) allowing for incentive effects, measurement errors, and correlated latent heterogeneity in incidence. Under the method's identifying assumptions, a feasible instrumental variables estimator corrects for incentive effects and measurement errors, and provides a bound for the true value when there is correlated incidence heterogeneity. A case study for a large cash transfer program in China indicates that past methods of assessing benefit incidence using either nominal official rates or raw tabulations from survey data are deceptive. The program entails a nominal 100 percent benefit withdrawal rate -- a poverty trap. However, the paper finds that the actual rate is much lower, and clearly too low in the light of the literature on optimal income taxation. The paper discusses likely reasons based on the qualitative observations.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Ravallion, Martin
Chen, Shaohua
author_facet Ravallion, Martin
Chen, Shaohua
author_sort Ravallion, Martin
title Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity
title_short Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity
title_full Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity
title_fullStr Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity
title_full_unstemmed Benefit Incidence with Incentive Effects, Measurement Errors and Latent Heterogeneity
title_sort benefit incidence with incentive effects, measurement errors and latent heterogeneity
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2013
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/08/18111657/benefit-incidence-incentive-effects-measurement-errors-latent-heterogeneity-benefit-incidence-incentive-effects-measurement-errors-latent-heterogeneity
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16006
_version_ 1764432006867845120