Good Bye Lenin (or Not?): The Effect of Communism on People's Preferences

34 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2005

See all articles by Alberto F. Alesina

Alberto F. Alesina

Harvard University - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln

Goethe University Frankfurt

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Abstract

Preferences for redistribution, as well as the generosities of welfare states, differ significantly across countries. In this paper, we test whether there exists a feedback process of the economic regime on individual preferences. We exploit the experiment of German separation and reunification to establish exogeneity of the economic system. From 1945 to 1990, East Germans lived under a Communist regime with heavy state intervention and extensive redistribution. We find that, after German reunification, East Germans are more in favor of redistribution and state intervention than West Germans, even after controlling for economic incentives. This effect is especially strong for older cohorts, who lived under Communism for a longer time period. We find that East Germans' preferences converge towards those of West Germans, and we calculate that it will take one to two generations for preferences to converge completely.

Suggested Citation

Alesina, Alberto F. and Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola, Good Bye Lenin (or Not?): The Effect of Communism on People's Preferences. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=756786 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.756786

Alberto F. Alesina (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Department of Economics ( email )

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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln

Goethe University Frankfurt ( email )

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Frankfurt am Main, 60323
Germany

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