Wealth Inequality, Family Background, and Estate Taxation / Mariacristina De Nardi, Fang Yang.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Nardi, Mariacristina.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Yang, Fang.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w21047.

NBER working paper series no. w21047

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2015.

Summary:

This paper generates two main contributions. First, it provides a new theory of wealth inequality that merges two empirically relevant forces generating inequality: bequest motives and inheritance of ability across generations; and an earnings process that allows for more earnings risk for the richest. Second, it uses the resulting calibrated framework to study the effects of changing estate taxation. Increasing the estate tax reduces the wealth concentration in the hands of the richest few and the economic advantage of being born to a rich and super-rich family, at the cost of reduced aggregate capital and output. However, all of these effects are quite small. In contrast, increasing estate taxation can generate a significant welfare gain to a newborn under the veil of ignorance, but this comes at a large welfare cost for the super-rich.

Notes:

Print version record

March 2015.