To what extent can governmental policies help cultivate a relatively prosperous, secure and free citizenry? A 2011 study published in Psychological Science, “Progressive Taxation and the Subjective Well-Being of Nations,” evaluates the impact of progressive taxation — a higher tax rate for the rich and a lower one for the poor — on levels of satisfaction and well-being.
Research has found a strong relationship between poverty and health, and lower levels of income are associated with higher levels of sickness and premature death. In seeking to understand this relationship, researchers often focus on what is called “allostatic load” — the wear and tear on the body as it manages physical and social stresses.
Is the likelihood that an individual will behave in an ethical manner dependent on how much he or she earns? Logic might suggest that poorer individuals’ economic situations could push them to break certain rules, but research indicates that the variable of economic status may not operate along such predictable lines.
From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Jackelyn Hwang, Harvard University.
