The issue of income redistribution

The issue of trade off efficiency and equity which is represented by income redistribution, becomes increasingly debated not only in economic and social, but also in political dimension. Solution of this trade-off is virtually projected into the implementation of social policy and results achieved in macro economics policy with the goal to define the optimal scope and character of the income redistribution processes. The submitted empirical study responds to this problem through the solution of research question concerning the existence of a relationship between the extent of selected classes of social protection expenditure (expenditure on policy of family old age and unemployment) and the achieved level of economics development, quantified by Human Development Index. The existence of this relationship is statistically tested in the sample of 15 countries of the world economy. The research sample is heterogeneous in relation to the analysed indicators and it concerns countries with a different attained level of economics development and income redistribution policy.