Spencer Bastani

Spencer Bastani's research is oriented towards enhancing our understanding of the role of government in the economy and how tax and social insurance policies should be designed to promote a socially efficient resource allocation and a desirable income distribution. His research is both theoretically and empirically oriented. In his empirical research Bastani has mainly analysed how individuals respond to changes in taxes and transfers. He has published papers spanning a wide variety of topics in public finance, such as how optimal labor income taxes should be designed, how a more efficient and equitable tax system can be constructed by allowing the tax authority to condition taxes on observable characteristics such as age or gender, how tax policy should be designed in the presence of asymmetric information between workers and firms as well as how different commodities (goods) and capital income should be taxed.

Bastani's current research projects investigate topics such as the potential efficiency enhancing role of mandatory parental leave rules in the presence of anti-discrimination legislation, the optimal design of subsidies to child care and how the labor force participation behavior of women responds to changed financial incentives to work.

Bastani is also interested in the optimal design of pensions, international migration and how the effects of public policy depend on the structure of the labor market.

Bastani obtained his PhD in economics from Uppsala University in 2012 and has a M.Sc. degree in Mathematics from Linköping University.

Personal homepage: http://www.spencerbastani.com

Publications

Article in journal (Refereed)

Bastani, S., Tomer, B., Luca, M. (2018). The Welfare-Enhancing Role of Parental Leave Mandates. Journal of Law, Economics & Organization.
Bastani, S., Lundberg, J. (2017). Political preferences for redistribution in Sweden. Journal of Economic Inequality. 15. 345-367.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Micheletto, L. (2016). Optimal commodity taxation with varying quality of goods. Research in Economics. 70. 89-100.
Bastani, S., Blumkin, T., Micheletto, L. (2015). Optimal wage redistribution in the presence of adverse selection in the labor market. Journal of Public Economics. 131. 41-57.
Bastani, S. (2015). Using the Discrete Model to Derive Optimal Income Tax Rates. Finanzarchiv. 71. 106-117.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Pirttila, J. (2015). How should commodities be taxed? : A counter-argument to the recommendation in the Mirrlees Review. Oxford Economic Papers. 67. 455-478.
Bastani, S., Simula, L. (2014). Commentaire - Evaluer les limites à la redistribution: approches partielles ou approche globale? : [Assessing restrictions on redistribution: partial or aggregate approaches]. Economie et Statistique. 163-171.
Bastani, S., Selin, H. (2014). Bunching and non-bunching at kink points of the Swedish tax schedule. Journal of Public Economics. 109. 36-49.
Bastani, S. (2013). Gender-Based and Couple-Based Taxation. International Tax and Public Finance. 20. 653-686.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Micheletto, L. (2013). Welfare Gains Of Age-Related Optimal Income Taxation. International Economic Review. 54. 1219-1249.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Micheletto, L. Nonlinear and piece-wise linear income taxation, and the subsidization of work-related goods. International Tax and Public Finance.

Article in journal (Other academic)

Daniel, W., Bastani, S., Hansson, Å. (2018). Kapitalbeskattningens förutsättningar i Sverige. Ekonomisk Debatt. 46. 6-15.
Bastani, S., Blumkin, T., Micheletto, L. (2017). Gender wage gap and the welfare-enhancing role of parental leave rules. ifo DICE Report. 15. 3-7.
Bastani, S., Selin, H. (2012). Finns det anhopning av skattebetalare vid brytpunkten för statlig inkomstskatt?. Ekonomisk Debatt. 40. 22-27.

Chapter in book (Other academic)

Bastani, S., Blomqist, S., Micheletto, L. (2018). Public Pensions in a Multiperiod Mirrleesian Income Tax Model. The Taxation of Pensions. The MIT Press.

Doctoral thesis, monograph (Other academic)

Bastani, S. (2010). Two Essays in Optimal Taxation. Licentiate Thesis. Uppsala, Uppsala universitet.

Report (Other academic)

Waldenström, D., Bastani, S., Hansson, Å. (2018). Kapitalbeskattningens förutsättningar. Stockholm, SNS förlag. 206.
Bastani, S., Blumkin, T., Micheletto, L. (2016). Anti-discrimination legislation and the efficiency-enhancing role of mandatory parental leave. Linnaeus University Centre for Labour Market and Discrimination Studies. 44.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Micheletto, L. (2016). Public pensions in a multi-period Mirrleesian income tax model. Linnaeus University Centre for Labour Market and Discrimination Studies. 25.
Bastani, S., Moberg, Y., Selin, H. (2016). Estimating participation responses using transfer program reform. Linnaeus University Centre for Labour Market and Discrimination Studies. 49.
Bastani, S., Lundberg, J. (2016). Political preferences for redistribution in Sweden. Linnaeus University Centre for Labour Market and Discrimination Studies.
Bastani, S., Blumkin, T., Micheletto, L. (2014). Optimal Wage Redistribution in the Presence of Adverse Selection in the Labor Market. Uppsala, Uppsala universitet. 17.
Bastani, S. (2013). Using the Discrete Model to Derive Optimal Income Tax Rates. Uppsala, Uppsala universitet. 13.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Pirttilä, J. (2013). Optimal Inequality behind the Veil of How Should Commodities Be Taxed? : A Counterargument to the Recommendation in the Mirrlees Review. Uppsala, Uppsala universitet. 26.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Micheletto, L. (2010). The Welfare Gains of Age Related Optimal Income Taxation. Uppsala, Uppsala universitet. 46.
Bastani, S., Blomquist, S., Micheletto, L. (2010). Public Provision of Private Goods, Tagging and Optimal Income Taxation with Heterogeneity in Needs. Uppsala, Uppsala universitet. 47.

Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)

Bastani, S. (2012). Essays on the Economics of Income Taxation. Doctoral Thesis. Uppsala universitet.

Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Aronsson, T., Bastani, S., Blomquist, S. (2010). Vad är optimal beskattning?. Framtider. 18-21.

Book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Bastani, S. (2013). Makten över skatten : optimal beskattning med ett globalt perspektiv. Global Utmaning.

Article, book review (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Bastani, S. (2014). Välfärdsekonomi ur svenskt perspektiv : Agneta Kruse och Ann-Charlotte Ståhlberg: Welfare Economics - Theory, Empirical Results and the Swedish Experience. Ekonomisk Debatt. 42.