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Home Issues Backissues Volume 31, No.1 Egoism or Altruism: Citizens' Attitude toward Redistribution in the 2012 Presidential Election

Egoism or Altruism: Citizens' Attitude toward Redistribution in the 2012 Presidential Election

Alex C. H. Chang
2014 / 11
Volume 21, No.2

pp.43-80
10.6612/tjes.2014.21.02.43-80
Paper

Abstract

Unlike conventional presidential elections in which ethnic identity, unification and independence, and economic development were the core issues of political competitions, in the 2012 presidential election, the issue of social justice and redistribution firstly was included in the candidates' platforms. This article investigates the question of redistribution from the theoretical perspectives and political competition, and explains the variation in the voters' opinions on this issue. By incorporating the TEDS 2012 data with structural equation modeling, we find that the theories of classical political economy, the supply theory of public goods, and party identity all provide explanations for this issue. In addition, we also find that although the cross-strait economic and trade exchange does not directly influence people's opinions toward redistribution, nevertheless, it impacts their attitudes toward their future household income, and indirectly affects their standpoints on the redistributive issues.

Keywords

redistribution

income inequality

rational choice

party identification

public goods provision