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Factors driving wealth inequality in European countries
Client/Funding Institution
Austrian Chamber of Labour
Abstract
The study analyses how microeconomic factors drive the inequality in household wealth across nine European countries applying the Shapley value approach to decomposition. The research draws on micro data from the Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Survey 2014. Disparity in inheritance and gifts obtained by households are found to have a considerable effect on wealth inequality that is on average stronger than the one of income differences and other factors. In Austria, Germany, France and Spain the contribution of real and financial assets received as bequests or inter-vivos transfers to wealth inequality attains more or almost 30%. However, also the distribution of household characteristics (age, education, size, number of adults and children in the household, marital status) within countries shapes the observed wealth dispersion. The study also provides an overview of different inheritance tax regimes in selected European countries and the United States. It finds that in the majority of countries the tax rate depends on the relationship between bequeather and inheritor as well as the value of the inherited assets. Due to an increase in private wealth and its concentration over time, the authors furthermore expect an increase in inheritance tax revenues in the future.
Duration
December 2016 - November 2017
wiiw team Leader
wiiw Staff
Veronika Janyrova, Stefan Jestl
External Publications
Factors driving wealth inequality in European countries, AK Working Paper No. 177, July 2018
Keywords: Inequality, Wealth Distribution, Decomposition Analysis, Inheritance, Inter vivos transfers, Income Distribution, Europe
Countries covered: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain
Research Areas: Labour, Migration and Income Distribution