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Social Image Concerns and Welfare Take-Up

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  • Jana Friedrichsen
  • Tobias König
  • Renke Schmacker
Abstract
Using a laboratory experiment, we present first evidence that social image concerns causally reduce the take-up of an individually beneficial transfer. Our design manipulates the informativeness of the take-up decision by varying whether transfer eligibility is based on ability or luck, and how the transfer is financed. We find that subjects avoid the inference both of being low-skilled (ability stigma) and of being willing to live o_ others (free-rider stigma). Using a placebo treatment, we exclude other explanations for the observed stigma effects. Although stigma reduces take-up, elicitation of political preferences reveals that only a minority of \taxpayers" vote for the public transfer.

Suggested Citation

  • Jana Friedrichsen & Tobias König & Renke Schmacker, 2018. "Social Image Concerns and Welfare Take-Up," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1752, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1752
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    5. Germain, Antoine, 2023. "Basic income versus fairness: redistribution with inactive agents," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2023022, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    6. Bastani, Spencer & Giebe, Thomas & Miao, Chizheng, 2020. "Ethnicity and tax filing behavior," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
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    9. Delis, Manthos & Galariotis, Emilios & Monne, Jerome, 2021. "Financial vulnerability and seeking expert advice: Evidence from a survey experiment," MPRA Paper 107095, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Adam Osman & Jamin D. Speer, 2024. "Stigma and take‐up of labour market assistance: Evidence from two field experiments," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 91(361), pages 123-141, January.
    11. Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Schnabel, Isabel & Truger, Achim & Wieland, Volker, 2019. "Den Strukturwandel meistern. Jahresgutachten 2019/20 [Dealing with Structural Change. Annual Report 2019/20]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201920.
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    13. Reanos, Miguel Tovar & Curtis, John & Pillai, Arya & Meier, David, 2023. "Fuel poverty and financial literacy: Evidence from Irish home owners," Papers WP751, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Stigma; signaling; redistribution; non take-up; welfare program;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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