Whether observed differences in redistributive policies across countries are the result of differences in social preferences or efficiency constraints is an important question that paves the debate about the optimality of welfare regimes. To shed new light on this question, we estimate labor...

Trade-offs between policies that promote economic growth and redistribute wealth are discussed extensively in the literature, both from a public finance perspective and from a macroeconomic angle. In fact, social safety nets are sometimes perceived by government in developing countries as a...

In this paper, I quantify the role of media in the formation of support for unemployment insurance. Theory suggests that individuals who feel threatened by globalization demand compensatory policies. Using a novel method of quantitative text analysis, I derive measures on the stance to...