The Effects of Income Transparency on Well-Being: Evidence from a Natural Experiment
利用挪威2001年税务记录在线公开的自然实验，发现收入透明化使富人与穷人之间的幸福差距扩大29%，生活满意度差距扩大21%，为收入比较模型提供了证据。
In 2001, Norwegian tax records became easily accessible online, allowing everyone in the country to observe the incomes of everyone else. According to the income comparisons model, this change in transparency can widen the gap in well-being between richer and poorer individuals. Using survey data from 1985–2013 and multiple identification strategies, we show that the higher transparency increased the gap in happiness between richer and poorer individuals by 29 percent, and it increased the life satisfaction gap by 21 percent. We provide back-of-the-envelope estimates of the importance of income comparisons, and discuss implications for the ongoing debate on transparency policies.