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Partial equality-of-opportunity orderings

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Abstract

This paper proposes a partial equality-of-opportunity ordering based on the inequality-of-opportunity curve, a mechanism that gives preference to those who are worse off in terms of opportunity. Moreover, it provides a complete ordering that depends on a sensitivity parameter representing the degree of priority in the equality-of-opportunity policy. The Moreno-Ternero approach is obtained as a particular case. This proposal is applied to a set of 12 countries to compare their degree of equality of opportunity. Results show the relevance for economic policy of observing inequality of opportunity over tranches. Denmark dominates, in terms of post-tax income, all other economies in our sample.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Economía Aplicada I, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid, Campus de Vicálvaro, 28032, Madrid, Spain

    Juan Gabriel Rodríguez

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  1. Juan Gabriel Rodríguez
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Correspondence to Juan Gabriel Rodríguez.

Additional information

This paper was written during my visit to the Department of Political Science at Yale University. I am very grateful for the hospitality and helpful comments of John Roemer. I also acknowledge useful comments and suggestions by Juan D. Moreno-Ternero, the audiences at XIV EEP (Santander) and ECINEQ2007 (Berlin) and two anonymous referees. This paper has benefited from the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology [Project#SEC2003-08397], Fundación BBVA and Instituto de Estudios Fiscales. The usual disclaimer applies.

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Rodríguez, J.G. Partial equality-of-opportunity orderings. Soc Choice Welfare 31, 435–456 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00355-007-0290-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00355-007-0290-8

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