The Political Economy of Progressive Property Tax Reform: Evidence from Pakistan
Experiment 1 completed [registration, PAP]. Experiment 2 planned April 2025.
(with Ali Abbas, Ali Cheema, Adnan Khan, and Shandana Khan Mohmand)
This project aims to trace out the contours of politically feasible property tax reforms through a series of two Randomized Control Trials (RCTs). The first experiment (10/2024-2/2025) measures citizens' preferences for the level and progressivity of property taxes and their determinants. A series of information experiments studies the impacts of tax knowledge, public goods, tax evasion, government waste, and elite capture on citizens' preferences. The second experiment (planned for 4/2025) measures political and bureaucratic decision makers' preferences and responsivenes to different subgroups of citizens' demands. Combining the results from the two experiments, the project will provide a roadmap for feasible property tax reform in Punjab, Pakistan.