Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics · 2025 · Marcel Preuß、Germán Adolfo Morong Reyes、Jason Somerville、Joy Wu
中文摘要
受教育机会、家庭背景等机会通过影响经济成功的概率来塑造收入不平等。机会不平等使成功究竟是源于才能还是运气变得不确定。我们考察这种不确定性如何影响再分配偏好,并将其与更为透明的运气形式进行比较。基于美国代表性样本,我们在两种环境中引出再分配决策:工人的收入直接受运气影响("幸运结果"),或间接受运气影响("幸运机会")。在机会情境下,旁观者进行的再分配更少,且对运气差异的敏感性更低。这一差距源于推断上的困难,这意味着个体比以往研究结论所显示的更不倾向于秉持能力主义。
Abstract
Opportunities, such as access to education or family background, shape income inequality by influencing the chances of economic success. Unequal opportunities create uncertainty about whether success is merit or luck based. We examine how uncertainty impacts preferences for redistribution, comparing it to more transparent forms of luck. Using a US representative sample, we elicit redistribution decisions in two environments: when workers’ earnings are influenced by luck directly (“lucky outcomes”) or indirectly (“lucky opportunities”). Spectators redistribute less and are less sensitive to differences in luck under opportunities. Inferential challenges drive this gap, which implies that individuals are less meritocratic than previous findings suggest.