Presenting at SASE Conference 2023

Dr. Simone Schneider presented her findings from the PERGAP project in a talk titled Preferences for Redistribution: Do Institutions Matter? at the 35th Annual Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, held at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. This year’s conference theme was “Socio-Economics in a Transitioning World: Breaking Lines and Alternative Paradigms for a New World Order”.

As part of the panel Redistribution Preferences and Insecurity hosted by the research network Political Economy of Industrial Relations and Welfare States, Simone explored two main research questions:

1. Do European societies differ systematically in their preferences for redistribution?
2. Do contextual and institutional characteristics shape the public’s preference for redistribution?

Using data from the European Social Survey collected biennially from 2002 to 2020, Simone empirically examined the interplay between economic inequality and the extent of state-induced redistributive efforts in shaping preferences for redistribution. Through multi-level analyses that differentiate between within and between country-level effects, she shows that preferences for redistribution are notably stronger in nations with higher economic disparities and high state intervention efforts. Simone concluded that public institutions indeed influence redistribution preferences; disentangling the effects of complex institutional framework necessitates more nuanced analysis – one of the primary objectives of the PERGAP project.

The presentation attracted an international audience of academics, fostering critical discussions on the scientific and political implications of her research. Attendees also evaluated steps for future research, emphasizing the significance of understanding the dynamics of redistributive preferences in today’s socio-economic landscape.

Learn more about the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics conference here: