We extend Bergstrom and Cornes (1983) to show that for strong independence of efficient allocations from distribution in a public goods economy, the utility functions of all consumers must identically be of the form: A(Y)Xi, where Y and Xi are respectively the quantities of public good and...

Studies of inequality often ignore resource allocation within the household. In doing so they miss an important element of the distribution of welfare that can vary dramatically depending on overall environmental and economic factors. Thus, measures of inequality that ignore intra household...

In this paper we develop an approach to measuring inequality and poverty that recognizes the fact that individuals within households may have both different preferences and differential access to resources. We argue that a measure based on estimates of the sharing rule is inadequate as an...

This paper analyzes how the distribution of gross income among residents in a locality affects the local provision of public goods. The analysis is based on a two-type model, where the local residents can be either high income earners or low income earners. Local provision is assumed to reflect...

We construct a theoretically-motivated model of income inequality. Through a pooled regression on an international panel, we demonstrate that political regime (whether extractive, redistributive, or reinvestment-oriented) correlates with within-country income inequality.

We study the fiscal implications of trade liberalization in a North-South trade model with nonhomothetic preferences. Combining a Ricardian trade model with a continuum of competitive goods and a public good, nonhomothetic preferences imply that both the global income distribution and the local...