Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Value Judgments and Redistribution Policies

Project description

Considering heterogeneity and diversity for fairer redistribution policies

Although heterogeneity and diversity in individuals’ preferences, needs and skills are key to explaining variations in behaviour and to anticipating responses to policy changes, there is no consensus about how these differences should be considered in relation to policies. To reexamine this ethical challenge, the EU-funded VALURED project aims at mapping value judgments and redistribution policies. Combining welfare economics with public economics, the project will look at income taxation and address the ethical challenges related to individuals’ heterogeneity in preferences, needs and skills. Moreover, focussing on capital taxation, it will address individuals’ differences in risk preferences and information, while by analysing the design of inheritance taxation, it will address the social concerns for intergenerational and intragenerational equity.

Objective

Heterogeneity and diversity are a pervasive aspect of modern societies. Differences in individuals’ preferences, needs, skills, and information are key to explain variation in individuals’ behavior and to anticipate individuals’ responses to policy changes. There is no consensus, however, about how to take these differences into account when evaluating policies.

Project VALURED will reexamine this ethical challenge by characterizing the mapping between value judgments—i.e. principles of distributive justice—and redistribution policies. This mapping is tremendously important for welfare analysis and policy design. First, it associates the most desirable policy to each set of value judgments, providing an “ethical menu” to policy design. Second, it gives an ethical identity of each policy proposal, that is, it identifies the value judgments a policymaker endorses when proposing a specific policy.

The main objectives of VALURED are to:
1) identify transparent and compelling value judgments that accommodate heterogeneity and diversity;
2) show the implications of these value judgments for the evaluation and design of redistribution policies;
3) characterize welfare criteria that respect individuals’ preferences and account for individuals’ differences in needs, skills, and information;
4) provide new insights for the design of income, capital, and inheritance taxation;
5) develop simple formulas that express optimal policies as a function of observable heterogeneity and ethical parameters.

Project VALURED combines welfare economics with public economics. The first part deals with income taxation and addresses the ethical challenges related to individuals’ heterogeneity in preferences, needs, and skills. The second part focuses on capital taxation and addresses individuals’ differences in risk preferences and information. The third part analyses the design of inheritance taxation and addresses the social concerns for intergenerational and intragenerational equity.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

(opens in new window) ERC-2018-STG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

UNIVERSITAET ST. GALLEN
Net EU contribution
€ 688 554,49
Address
DUFOURSTRASSE 50
9000 St Gallen
Switzerland
Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Ostschweiz St. Gallen
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 688 554,49

Beneficiaries (2)