A large international literature has documented the labor market distortions associated with social security benefits for near-retirees. In this paper, we investigate the 'other side' of social security programs, seeking to document improvements in wellbeing arising from the provision of public...

Nous presentons de nouveaux resultats concernant les niveaux et les tendances de l'inegalite du revenu apres impot au Canada au cours de la periode allant de 1980 a 2000. Nous soutenons que les sources de donnees existantes ne revelent pas necessairement les variations dans les queues de la...

We present new evidence on levels and trends in after-tax income inequality in Canada between 1980 and 2000. We argue that existing data sources may miss changes in the tails of the income distribution, and that much of the changes in the income distribution have been in the tails. Our data are...

Avant 1989, les beneficiaires sans enfants de l'aide sociale au Quebec qui etaient ages de moins de 30 ans touchaient des prestations beaucoup moins elevees que les beneficiaires ages de plus de 30 ans. Nous utilisons cette discontinuite precise dans la politique pour estimer les effets de...

Before 1989, childless social assistance recipients in Quebec under age 30 received much lower benefits than recipients over age 30. We use this sharp discontinuity in policy to estimate the effects of social assistance on various labour market outcomes using a regression discontinuity approach....

We examine the incentive effects of transfer programs using a unique policy episode. Prior to 1989, social assistance recipients without children in Quebec who were under age 30 received benefits 60 percent lower than recipients older than 30. We use this sharp discontinuity in policy to...