redistributive

[ ree-di-strib-yuh-tiv ]

adjective

, Economics.

1. favoring, supporting, or practicing income redistribution:

   the redistributive effects of public spending.

Word History and Origins

Origin of redistributive¹

First recorded in 1880–85; redistribute + -ive

Example Sentences

This model is one lifted from American franchise leagues, albeit without the redistributive elements like drafts and salary caps.

From Washington Post

A serious effort to make life less unfair for neglected kids would likely require enacting bigger, more ambitious redistributive social programs—social programs that are very unlikely to be enacted given the state of 21st-century American politics.

From Nautilus

The authors argue for some redistributive policies, like increased financial aid for post-secondary education.

From The Daily Beast

Real conservatives stand outside this conversation: They believe that virtually no redistributive spending is justified.

From The Daily Beast

Further, Obamacare is redistributive, as Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic and Tom Edsall at the New York Times acknowledge.

From The Daily Beast

The redistributive impulse that is Obamacare wreaked havoc in the 2010 midterms and may do so again.

From The Daily Beast

But he is dead wrong to suggest that government is simply redistributive or worse, a dead-weight drag on the economy.

From The Daily Beast