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In this paper, we set up a three-period stochastic overlapping generations model to analyze the implications of income inequality and mobility for demand for redistribution and social insurance. We model the size of two different public programs under the welfare state. We investigate bidimensional voting on the tax rates that determine the allocation of government revenues among transfer payments and old-age pensions. We show that the coalitions formed, the resulting political equilibria, and the demand for redistribution crucially depend on the level of income inequality and mobility.

AbstractAlthough they comprise a relatively small subset of all traffic deaths, hit‐and‐run (HR) fatalities are both contemptible and preventable. We analyze longitudinal data from 1982 to 2008 to examine the effects of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) laws on HR traffic fatalities. Our results suggest that lower BAC limits may have an unintended consequence of increasing HR fatalities, whereas a similar effect is absent for non‐HR fatalities. Specifically, we find that the adoption of a 0.08 BAC limit is associated to an 8.3% increase in HR fatalities. This unintended effect is more pronounced in urban areas and during weekends, which are typical settings for HR incidents.

This paper analyzes the importance of policy variables in the context of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application timing decision. Previously, we explicitly modeled the optimal timing of SSDI application using dynamic structural models. We estimated these models using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). This paper uses option value model estimates to simulate application timing under alternative SSDI policy formulations. We consider changes in three policy variables: benefit levels, acceptance rates, and employer accommodation. Our simulations suggest all these changes would have substantial effects on expected spell lengths until application and on lifetime application rates, and hence on SSDI caseloads.

Although individual rare disorders are uncommon, it is estimated that, together, 6000+ known rare diseases affect more than 30 million people in Europe, and present a substantial public health burden. Together with the psychosocial burden on affected families, rare disorders frequently, if untreated, result in a low quality of life, disability and even premature death. Newborn screening (NBS) has the potential to detect a number of rare conditions in asymptomatic children, providing the possibility of early treatment and a significantly improved long-term outcome. Despite these clear benefits, the availability and conduct of NBS programmes varies considerably across Europe and, with the increasing potential of genomic testing, it is likely that these differences may become even more pronounced. To help improve the equity of provision of NBS and ensure that all children can be offered high-quality screening regardless of race, nationality and socio-economic status, a technical meeting, endorsed by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, was held in October 2021. In this article, we present experiences from individual EU countries, stakeholder initiatives and the meeting's final conclusions, which can help countries attempting to establish new NBS programmes or expand existing provision.