Income Inequality, the Median Voter, and the Support for Public Education / Sean Corcoran, William N. Evans.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Corcoran, Sean.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Evans, William N.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w16097.

NBER working paper series no. w16097

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2010.

Summary:

Using a panel of U.S. school districts spanning 1970 - 2000, we examine the relationship between income inequality and fiscal support for public education. In contrast with recent theoretical and empirical work suggesting a negative relationship between inequality and public spending, we find results consistent with a median voter model, in which inequality that reduces the median voter's tax share induces higher local spending on public education. We estimate that 12 to 22 percent of the increase in local school spending over this period is attributable to rising inequality.

Notes:

Print version record

June 2010.