Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333719 
Year of Publication: 
2026
Citation: 
[Journal:] Social Science Research [ISSN:] 1096-0317 [Volume:] 134 [Article No.:] 103294 [Publisher:] Elsevier [Place:] Amsterdam [Year:] 2026 [Pages:] 1-12
Publisher: 
Elsevier, Amsterdam
Abstract: 
A leading explanation for why in democratic societies the rich are not taxed more is that meritocratic beliefs breed tolerance for inequality. We problematize this account by claiming that, unlike the rich, the poor support greater redistribution regardless of how meritocratic they perceive society to be. The claim is tested using a cross-national survey and a preregistered experimental game that exogenized both income and perceptions of meritocratic fairness. Analysis of both survey and experimental data supports the proposed interaction effect between income and perceived meritocratic fairness on demand for redistribution. We conclude that while meritocratic beliefs can explain why the rich do not support more redistribution, it fails to explain the poor’s inequality acceptance.
Subjects: 
Inequality
Redistribution
Meritocracy
Income
Fairness
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

Files in This Item:





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.