Equity, or economic equality, is the concept or idea of fairness in
economics, particularly in regard to
taxation or
welfare economics. More specifically, it may refer to a movement that strives to provide
equal life chances regardless of identity, to provide all citizens with a basic and equal minimum of income, goods, and services or to increase funds and commitment for redistribution.
Overview
According to Peter Corning, there are three distinct categories of substantive fairness (equality, equity, and reciprocity) that must be combined and balanced in order to achieve a truly fair society. Inequality and inequities have significantly increased in recent decades.
Equity is based on the idea of
moral equality. Equity looks at the distribution of capital, goods, and access to services throughout an economy and is often measured using tools such as the
Gini index. Equity may be distinguished from
economic efficiency in overall evaluation of social welfare. Although 'equity' has broader uses, it may be posed as a counterpart to
economic inequality in yielding a "good"
distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
* Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
*Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...
of wealth. It has been studied in
experimental economics as
inequity aversion.
Taxation
In
public finance, ''horizontal equity'' is the idea that people with a similar ability to pay taxes should pay the same or similar amounts. It is related to the concept of ''tax neutrality'' or the idea that the tax system should not discriminate between similar things or people, or unduly distort behavior.
''Vertical equity'' usually refers to the idea that people with a greater ability to pay taxes should pay more. If the rich pay more in proportion to their income, this is known as a ''proportional tax''; if they pay an increasing proportion, this is termed a ''
progressive tax'', sometimes associated with
redistribution of wealth.
Fair division
Equitability in
fair division means every person’s subjective valuation of their own share of some goods is the same. The
surplus procedure (SP) achieves a more complex variant called proportional equitability. For more than two people, a division cannot always both be equitable and
envy-free.
See also
*
Distributive justice
*
Educational equity
*
Equity (law)
*
Excess burden of taxation
*
Justice (economics)
*
Progressive tax
*
Proportional tax
*
Tax incidence
In economics, tax incidence or tax burden is the effect of a particular tax on the distribution of economic welfare. Economists distinguish between the entities who ultimately bear the tax burden and those on whom tax is initially imposed. The ta ...
* ''
Who Moved My Cheese''
Notes
References
*
Anthony B. Atkinson and
Joseph E. Stiglitz (1980). ''Lectures in Public Economics'', McGraw-Hill.
Economics Handbook Series.
* Xavier Calsamiglia and Alan Kirman (1993). "A Unique Informationally Efficient and Decentralized Mechanism with Fair Outcomes," ''Econometrica'', 61(5),
p. 11471172.
*
A.J. Culyer (1995). "Need: The Idea Won't Do — But We Still Need It," ''Social Science and Medicine'', 40(6), pp. 727–730.
*Jean-Yves Duclos (2008). "horizontal and vertical equity," ''
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics,'' 2nd Edition
Abstract.* Allan M. Feldman (1987). "equity," ''
The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics'', v. 2, pp. 182–84.
* Peter J. Hammond (1987). "altruism," ''The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics'', v. 1, pp. 85–87.
*
Serge-Christophe Kolm
Serge-Christophe Kolm (born December 1932) is a French economist. His work in economics and related social science includes his analyses, concepts and results in Public Economics and Normative Economics (hence also social ethics and political phil ...
(
9722000). ''Justice and Equity''
Description& chapter-previe
links MIT Press.
*
Julian Le Grand
Sir Julian Ernest Michael Le Grand, FBA (born 29 May 1945) is a British academic specialising in public policy. He is the Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE) and was a senior policy advisor to former ...
(1991). ''Equity and Choice: An Essay in Economics and Applied Philosophy''. Chapter previe
links.*
Richard A. Musgrave (1959). ''The Theory of Public Finance: A Study in Political Economy''.
*_____ (1987
">008. "public finance," ''The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics'', v. 3, pp. 1055–60
Abstract
* Richard A. Musgrave and Peggy B. Musgrave (1973). ''Public Finance in Theory and Practice''
*
Joseph E. Stiglitz (2000). ''Economics of the Public Sector'', 3rd ed. Norton.
* William Thomson (2008). "fair allocation," ''
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics,'' 2nd Edition
Abstract.* World Bank. ''World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development'
Summary with ch. links.*
H. Peyton Young (1994). ''Equity: In Theory and Practice''. Princeton University Press
Descriptionpreview an
chapter 1
*Colombino, U., Locatelli, M., Narazani, E., & O'Donoghue, C. (2010)
Alternative basic income mechanisms: An evaluation exercise with a microeconometric model ''Basic Income Studies'', ''5''(1).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Equity (Economics)
Fairness criteria
Tax incidence
Welfare economics