Abstract
This dissertation is a compilation of 3 papers. In this thesis, applying diverse empirical strategies including diff-in-diff, panel analysis and intergenerational correlations, we exploit the evolution and structure of some dimensions of the preferences for redistribution in several contexts and from several angles. We go deeper into the mechanisms behind these evolutions by investigating their main drivers. A particular emphasis is being put on the institutional factors and on the heterogeneous evolution of these preferences.Chapter 1 explores longitudinally the impact of the evolution of inequalities in Germany between 1997 and 2015 on one facet of the preferences for redistribution, namely the level of demand for state intervention in redistribution and financial security.Chapter 2 outlines the important role that the political environment --as an exogenous factor-- can play in the formation of preferences for redistribution. We investigate the effect of the revolution that occurred in January 2011 in Egypt on the demand for redistribution in that country. In adding of that, our study is the first to explore the subject of demand for redistribution within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.Chapter 3 deals with the other side of evolution, i.e. the “persistence” of the distribution of preferences for redistribution. We seek to exploit in this chapter the contribution of the family, and more generally, social institutions in the formation of such preferences.