ICES Seminar in Experimental Economics and Game Theory

Your Place in the World: Relative Income and Global Inequality

Friday, February 4, 2022 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
Online Location, Zoom Meeting

The ICES Seminar in Experimental Economics and Game Theory of the Spring 2022 semester will feature:

Johanna Mollerstrom

Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science, George Mason University

Your Place in the World: Relative Income and Global Inequality

 

Please contact ICES Office Manager (sbahabib@gmu.edu) for Zoom link.

 

Abstract

Although there is abundant evidence on individual preferences for policies that reduce national inequality, there is very little evidence on preferences for policies addressing global inequality. To investigate the latter, we conduct a two-year, face-to-face survey experiment on a representative sample of Germans. We measure how individuals form perceptions of their ranks in the national and global income distributions, and how those perceptions relate to their national and global policy preferences. We find that Germans systematically underestimate their true place in the world’s income distribution, but that correcting those misperceptions does not affect their support for policies related to global inequality.

 

For more information about the Seminar Series, please visit the Seminar Schedule homepage.