This paper discusses how the analysis of the role and impact of the welfare state has evolved over time in the economic literature. We stress the change in focus from the insurance to the redistributive role and we try to assess whether the dominant view according to which the welfare state is...

In this paper we address the following four questions: is it reasonably correct to assume that the government is benevolent and competent? Has state intervention through taxation and transfers negative effects on individual incentives? In a context of limited information, are political failures...

The aims of this work are to discuss whether there is an anomaly in the Italian pension system and, if there is, to investigate its causes and its influence on the future prospects of the system and on the debate on reform issues. In order to address these questions, we first provide an...