The Politics of Redistribution

1970 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 508-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Fry ◽  
Richard F. Winters
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
State Government ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Policy Formation ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Political Variables ◽  
Major Hypothesis ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

A comparatively new line of research in political science involves the systematic investigation of political, social, and economic factors important in the formation of public policy. So far, such research has yielded temptingly persuasive evidence that political variables exert little or no independent influence on policy outcomes; that policy outcomes are governed overwhelmingly by socio-economic factors. Stated more succinctly, these findings have raised the question: Does politics make a difference in the policy formation process?We suggest in the following analysis that these prior findings have been the result of the examination of a measure of public policy in which the influence of the political system is likely to be negligible, that is levels of public revenues and expenditures. To examine this proposition empirically, our study shifts attention to the allocation of the burdens and benefits of state revenue and expenditure policies across income classes. In redirecting analysis to allocations rather than levels of state revenues and expenditures, we focus on a province we believe to be more predictably political.We have taken as our dependent variable the net redistributive impact of revenues and expenditures as represented by the ratio of expenditure benefits to revenue burdens for the three lowest income classes in each state. The major hypothesis of our study is that, in regard to the allocation of the burdens and benefits of state government revenues and expenditures, political variables will have a stronger influence on policy outcomes than will socio-economic variables.

The Relative Importance of Socioeconomic and Political Variables for Public Policy

1977 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Lewis-Beck
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Partial Correlation ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Simple Correlation ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Political Variables

Since Dawson and Robinson, a dominant issue in the quantitative study of public policy has been the relative importance of socioeconomic and political variables for determining policy outcomes. It is argued here that past efforts to resolve this issue have been unsatisfactory, largely because they relied on inadequate statistical techniques, i.e., simple correlation, partial correlation, or multiple regression. Coefficients from these techniques are irrelevant for all but the most peculiar models of public policy. In general, if the researcher wishes to assess the relative importance of independent variables, it will be necessary to resort to path analysis of a formally constructed causal model. The comparison of “effects coefficients,” derived from path analysis, is offered as the preferred means of evaluating independent variables, superior to comparisons of coefficients from simple correlation, partial correlation, or multiple regression. When the effects coefficients are actually calculated for a popular model of welfare policy, socioeconomic variables appear much more important than political variables, contrary to interpretations coming from the more traditional statistical techniques.

scholarly journals From Backwaters to Major Policymakers: Policy Polarization in the States, 1970–2014

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 416-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob M. Grumbach
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
State Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Socioeconomic Outcomes ◽  
Party Control ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Policy Variation

Political scientists often characterize state and local governments as marginal and highly constrained in policymaking. However, I suggest that in recent decades state governments have moved from the margins to the center of partisan battles over the direction of U.S. public policy. Across 16 issue areas, I investigate interstate policy variation, policy differences across states, and policy polarization, the changing relationship between party control of state government and policy outcomes. Since the 1970s, interstate variation has increased such that an individual’s tax burden, right to obtain an abortion, and other relationships to government are increasingly determined by her state of residence. Policy polarization increases dramatically after 2000 in 14 of the 16 areas. I show that party control increasingly predicts socioeconomic outcomes in the polarized area of health care, but not in the nonpolarized area of criminal justice.

scholarly journals Impact of Socioeconomic Inequalities on the Spread of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alpay Arı ◽  
Hülya Özdemir ◽  
Fatmanur Kabadurmus ◽  
Selma Tosun ◽  
Durmuş Özdemir
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
University Education ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Economic Variables ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Binary Probit ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Abstract BackgroundTo examine the role of medical, economic and social inequalities affecting the prevalence of COVID-19 in Turkey. MethodsThis paper clarifies the medical and socio-economic factors affecting the prevalence of COVID-19 by using clinical and survey data in a binary probit model (BPM). Socio-economic factors affect the prevalence of COVID-19 to different degrees. Socio-economic variables are associated with risk of infection and can increase exposure to and mortality from COVID-19. ResultsThe factors that increase the probability that a person will get COVID-19 are gender (males have a 9.4% higher probability), income, household work status, interacting with a COVID-19 case (31.4% higher), using public transportation (6.97% higher), and visiting a hospital (35.7% higher probability for individuals who visited a hospital) or a mosque (15.1% higher). The factors that decrease the probability of testing positive are smoking (14.3% lower for smokers), being employed, having a university education compared to no education (24.7% lower), and wearing gloves (15.4% lower). ConclusionIn the case of Turkey, the estimations of the BPM show that economic and social variables are important factors for determining COVID-19 prevalence. Inequalities in socio-economic variables affect the prevalence to different degrees. Disparities in education and poverty are more important than being employed or being a smoker for the spread of COVID-19.

Women’s empowerment and family poverty in the Tawhidi epistemological approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aas Nurasyiah ◽  
Miyasto Miyasto ◽  
Tatik Mariyanti ◽  
Irfan Syauqi Beik
Keyword(s):  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Economic Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Islamic Perspective ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the socio-economic factors that will affect women’s empowerment from an Islamic perspective (the Tawhidi epistemological approach) and the impact of women’s empowerment on reducing family poverty. Design/methodology/approach Using a quantitative approach to see the relationship between research variables with structural equation model-partial least squares as the analysis tool. Findings In general, socio-economic variables had direct and indirect effects on reducing family poverty. In addition, the variable of women’s empowerment in an Islamic perspective can strengthen the influence of socio-economic variables on the alleviation of family poverty. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this research lies in the use of religiosity as an indicator with some constraints and the inclusion of all the necessary dimensions of a Muslim family. Additionally, because of the scope of the present research, the results may not be applicable in different areas, especially countries with distinctive characteristics such as having Muslims as the major population. On the other hand, the results of this research may provide comprehensive indicators of empowered Muslim women which enable the correlation between the socio-economic factors and women’s empowerment and how women’s empowerment can contribute to the alleviation of family poverty from the perspective of Islam. Originality/value This research provides new insights into the variable of women’s empowerment measured using the Islamic paradigm (Tawhidi epistemology) and includes religiosity as a variable that directly and indirectly influences the reduction of family poverty.

Group Influence and the Policy Process in the Soviet Union

1968 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 840-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel J. Schwartz ◽  
William R. Keech
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Policy Formation ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Group Influence ◽  
Soviet Policy ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Military

It has become widely recognized that Soviet officials do not formulate public policy in a vacuum, and that, indeed, their deliberations take into account in some fashion the needs and demands of various elements of the society. Further, it has been observed that social groups of various types play a noticeable, if only rudimentary role in articulating interests to the top of the hierarchy. In fact one author has gone so far as to assert that communist policy-making results from a “parallelogram of conflicting forces and interests.” While such viewpoints are now far more widely accepted than in the early fifties, relatively little effort has been devoted to illustrating or illuminating how Soviet public policy in general or even a given Soviet policy can be importantly affected by group activity.We propose here to make a contribution in that direction. Using the Educational Reform Act of 1958 as an exemplary case, we intend to show how and through what process groups can affect policy outcomes, and by identifying circumstances under which this takes place to generate some hypotheses about when such influence is most likely to recur. In their excellent analysis of Soviet policy formation, Professors Brzezinski and Huntington identify what they call “policy groups,” which come closest of any nongovernmental groups to participating in policy formation. These groups, such as the military, industrial managers, agricultural experts and state bureaucrats.

scholarly journals Comparing Passenger Satisfaction, Employees’ Perspective and Performance on Quality and Safety Indicators: A Field Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5636
Author(s):  
Luca D’Alonzo ◽  
Maria Chiara Leva ◽  
Edgardo Bucciarelli
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Critical Areas ◽  
Passenger Satisfaction ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

This paper aims to analyze the impact that different attributes related to a Regional Airport service and the socio-economic factors of the passengers have on the passenger’s overall satisfaction. The study also compared passenger and employee satisfaction in relation to the service offered by the airport, to identify possible critical areas of improvement. An Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR) approach was used to model how the attributes considered for qualifying airport services and the socio-economic variables impact the predicted variable (i.e., passenger satisfaction). Furthermore, the results were triangulated to include quality and safety performance indicators as an objective anchor point for the performance of the company. The findings indicate interesting areas of difference between the perceptions of the passengers and airport employees regarding a company’s services and its performance. The company managers in the key areas of operation were then asked to select the main areas of improvement among the ones highlighted by the survey’s results. Quality and safety indicators were also helpful in enriching the analysis and indicating good synergy with the suggestions collected from the passengers’ and the employees’ surveys, offering yet another complementary perspective.

scholarly journals A Cross-Tabulation Analysis of Socio-Economic Determinants of Crime: Evidence from Women Jail Multan, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol VI (I) ◽  
pp. 130-147
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ramzan Sheikh ◽  
Muhammad Tariq ◽  
Sana Sultan
Keyword(s):  
Random Sampling ◽  
Crime Rate ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Economic Determinants ◽  
Female Prisoners ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Cross Tabulation ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

The crime rate in Pakistan has increased severely within the last decade. It may be because of high unemployment, increasing poverty, income, rising inflation and urbanized setups. Few noneconomic constraints are also responsible for it. The study has been made with reference to Women Jail Multan. The 70 female prisoners are selected via a random sampling method. The data are collected by interviewing them. The study has used the type of crime as the dependent variable. Purely crime-related variables and socio-economic factors of crime have been used as explanatory variables. Both purely crime-related variables and socio-economic variables have found effect size with the type of crime.

scholarly journals Households Inclination in Waste Separation Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Azilah M. Akil ◽  
Foziah J. ◽  
C.S Ho
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Environmental Knowledge ◽  
Household Waste ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
International Publishing ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Waste Separation ◽  
Open Access Article ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

This paper examines the effect of socio-economic factors on recycling practices among households in Malaysia. Questionnaires were administered to 600 households in the newly emerging conurbation of Iskandar Malaysia Region. The results indicate that socio-economic variables have a significant effect on recycling activities. The results suggest that older people are more inclined to separate the households waste. The younger generation cited lack of time as the main reason for not recycling. The paper recommends several options to suit different households need to improve waste separation program. These include providing adequate infrastructures and raising environmental knowledge and values.Keywords: household; waste separation; recycling behaviour; Iskandar Malaysia2398-4279 © 2017 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, UniversitiTeknologi MARA, Malaysia.

scholarly journals Depression, Physical activity, and self-rated health: Panel analysis of adults in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee-sang Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Housing Type ◽  
Economic Variables ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Behavioral Variables ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Abstract Background: The health status of an individual is determined by socio-economic factors and behavioral factors. Socio-economic factors include marital status, educational level, living expenses, and housing type, among others. The differences of health status across individuals are mainly determined by these socioeconomic factors, which cannot be altered in a short run. However, even if the socioeconomic factors cannot be altered in the short run, there are ways for an individual to improve the health status in a relatively short period of time. These are behavioral factors, such as physical activities and management of depression. Methods: We provided evidence of the first statement by running a pooled OLS regression with self-rated health (SRH) as dependent variable and with walking, management of depression, sex, age, marital status, educational level, housing type, living expenses, and economic activity as independent variables. We proved the second statement by running a fixed-effect panel regression with the same dependent and independent variables. The 2010–2013 Korea Health Panel Survey data were used for analysis. Subjects were 34,436 adults (≥19 years) in 8,609 panel groups. Results: All the variables, including socio-economic variables as well as behavioral variables, were significant in the Pooled OLS regression. Whereas behavioral variables, such as walking and management of depression, were significant in the fixed-effect panel regression, socio-economic variables were not. The reason is that socio-economic variables are stable and not variant for an individual in the short-run.Conclusion: Whereas the differences of health status across individuals are mainly determined by socioeconomic factors, the health of an individual is significantly affected by his/her behavior. It is shown that regular walking and reduction of depression are important in improving SRH. There is a need for strategies designed to address depression and aging and encourage walking.

scholarly journals Vulnerability Variables and Their Effect on Wildfires in Galicia (Spain). A Panel Data Analysis

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1004
Author(s):  
Jaime de Diego ◽  
Antonio Rúa ◽  
Mercedes Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

This paper studied the effect of the socio-economic variables related to social vulnerability on wildfire characteristics (ignitions, hectares burned, and ratio hectares burned/ignitions) in Galicia, Spain. The study recognized that wildfires present threats to people and communities, so actions might be taken to address vulnerabilities in ways that mitigate the negative impacts of such fires. Our final aim was to identify those variables that are relevant to the starting and spreading of wildfires that can help improve the prevention and mitigation of wildfires. Panel data collected over 15 years (2001–2015) for the municipalities of Galicia were used in this study. The results show that vulnerability-related socio-economic factors affect the number of wildfires and the extent of the destruction they cause. Indeed, the progressive abandonment of rural areas is one of the most important problems that increases the occurrence of wildfires. This abandonment is connected to population factors such as aging or low density of population, economic factors such as the decrease in income or low cadastral value, and territorial factors such as the decrease in rustic hectares and ranches. We conclude that prevention and mitigation focused on areas prone to wildfires could be enhanced by taking into account these variables.

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