This study argues that parents have a desire for dividing equally between their children, and that this motive applies to transfers of gifts inter vivos. We suggest that the equal division motive competes with traditional altruism: support to the child or the children with greatest needs. When...

We estimate the size of inheritance and gift flows in Germany for selected years over the last century, applying the methodology used by Piketty (2011) for France and combining national accounts, tax statistics and survey data (mainly the German Socio-Economic Panel, SOEP). The data clearly...

Das Konzept einer redistributiven Sozialpolitik scheint schon seit längerem in Deutschland an seine Grenzen gestoßen zu sein: Die durchgehend mit einer erheblichen Umverteilungskomponente versehenen sozialen Sicherungssysteme haben einerseits zu unerträglichen Belastungen insbesondere der...