The Demand for Social Insurance: Does Culture Matter?
Journal
The Economic Journal
ISSN
1468-0297
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2011-11-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Does culture shape the demand for social insurance against risks to health and work? We study this issue across language groups in Switzerland where a language border sharply separates social groups at identical actual levels of publicly provided social insurance. We find substantially stronger support for expansions of social insurance among residents of French, Italian or Romansh-speaking language border municipalities compared with their German-speaking neighbours in adjacent municipalities. Informal insurance does not vary enough to explain stark differences in social insurance but differences in ideology and segmented media markets potentially contribute to the discrepancy in demand for social insurance.
Language
English
Keywords
social insurance
culture
regression discontinuity
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SEPS - Economic Policy
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher place
Oxford [u.a.]
Volume
121
Number
556
Start page
413
End page
448
Pages
36
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
225894