The Distribution of Welfare and Household Production : International Perspectives

This book by a distinguished set of international authors uses a range of approaches to measure personal living standards and economic welfare - how to measure them, how they compare across countries, and how they relate to the type of household, the labor market, and the tax benefit system.

When the overall economic pie is not growing, then how it is shared out becomes more important. This book is a collection of empirical and theoretical papers by a distinguished set of international authors about the personal distribution of welfare and household production. Comparisons of poverty, income inequality and income capacity across countries in Europe and North America are the basis of Part I. Three chapters introduce subjective (non-monetary) approaches to the assessment of personal economic welfare. In Part III new results about the measurement of inequality and poverty are derived. Part V explores topics examining interactions between personal welfare and the resources derived from one's household, the labor market, and from the government through the tax and benefit system. The book reflects the interests of, and is a memorial to, the late Aldi Hagenaars.