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Understanding the U.S. distribution of wealth

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Author Info
Vincenzo Quadrini
José-Víctor Ríos-Rull

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Abstract

This article describes the current state of economic theory intended to explain the unequal distribution of wealth among U.S. households. The models reviewed are heterogeneous agent versions of standard neoclassical growth models with uninsurable idiosyncratic shocks to earnings. The models endogenously generate differences in asset holdings as a result of the household's desire to smooth consumption while earnings fluctuate. Both of the dominant types of models--dynastic and life cycle models--reproduce the U.S. wealth distribution poorly. The article describes several features recently proposed as additions to the theory based on changes in earnings, including business ownership, higher rates of return on high asset levels, random capital gains, government programs to guarantee a minimum level of consumption, and changes in health and marital status. None of these features has been fully analyzed yet, but they all seem to have potential to move the models in the right direction.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in its journal Quarterly Review.

Volume (Year): (1997)
Issue (Month): Spr ()
Pages: 22-36
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedmqr:y:1997:i:spr:p:22-36:n:v.21no.2

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Related research
Keywords: Wealth;

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Paul A. Samuelson, 1958. "An Exact Consumption-Loan Model of Interest with or without the Social Contrivance of Money," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66, pages 467. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Sarte, Pierre-Daniel G., 1997. "Progressive taxation and income inequality in dynamic competitive equilibrium," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 145-171, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Antonia Díaz & Maria Jose Luengo-Prado, 2006. "The Wealth Distribution With Durable Goods," Economics Working Papers we067027, Universidad Carlos III, Departamento de Economía. [Downloadable!]
  2. repec:bep:macadv:v:1:y:2001:i:advances/1/1:p:1008-1008 is not listed on IDEAS
  3. Olympia Bover, 2008. "Wealth inequality and household structure: US vs. Spain," Banco de España Working Papers 0804, Banco de España. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. repec:bep:mactop:v:5:y:2005:i:1:p:1238-1238 is not listed on IDEAS
  5. David Domeij & Paul Klein, 2002. "Private Pensions: To What Extent Do They Account for Swedish Wealth Inequality?," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 5(3), pages 503-534, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Camilo Mondragón Vélez & Ximena Peña-Parga, 2008. "Business Ownership and Self-Employment in Developing Economies: The Colombian Case," NBER Chapters, in: International Differences in Entrepreneurship National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  7. Marco Cagetti & Mariacristina De Nardi, 2006. "Taxation, entrepreneurship, and wealth," Working Paper Series WP-06-07, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Erik Hurst & Arthur Kennickell & Annamaria Lusardi & Francisco Torralba, 2005. "Precautionary Savings and the Importance of Business Owners," NBER Working Papers 11731, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Cesaire Meh, 2005. "Entrepreneurship, Wealth Inequality, and Taxation," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 8(3), pages 688-719, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Joseph Gruber & Robert Martin, 2003. "Precautionary savings and the wealth distribution with illiquid durables," International Finance Discussion Papers 773, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
  11. Malick Souare, 2003. "Macroeconomic Implications of Population Aging and Public Pensions," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 100, McMaster University. [Downloadable!]
  12. Césaire A. Meh & Yaz Terajima, 2009. "Uninsurable Investment Risks and Capital Income Taxation," Working Papers 09-3, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Burkhard Heer & Bernd Suessmuth, 2003. "Inflation and Wealth Distribution," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
  14. Ellen R. McGrattan & Edward C. Prescott, 2005. "Taxes, regulations, and the value of U.S. and U.K. corporations," Staff Report 309, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  15. Emmanuel Saez, 2002. "Optimal Progressive Capital Income Taxes in the Infinite Horizon Model," NBER Working Papers 9046, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Telyukova, Irina A., 2009. "Household Need for Liquidity and the Credit Card Debt Puzzle," MPRA Paper 6674, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  17. Robert F. Martin Joseph W. Gruber, 2004. "Does Housing Wealth Make Us Less Equal? The Role of Durable Goods in the Distribution of Wealth," Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings 15, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  18. Mishael Milakovic', 2003. "Maximum Entropy Power Laws: An Application to the Tail of Wealth Distributions," LEM Papers Series 2003/01, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  19. Fang Yang, 2005. "Accounting for the heterogeneity in retirement wealth," Working Papers 638, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Downloadable!]
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  20. Heer, Burkhard, 2000. "Employment and Welfare Effects of a Two-Tier Unemployment Compensation System," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  21. Lilia Maliar & Serguei Maliar, 2003. "The Neoclassical Growth Model With Heterogenous Quasi-Geometric Consumers," Working Papers. Serie AD 2003-25, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie). [Downloadable!]
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  22. Marco Cagetti & Mariacristina De Nardi, 2007. "Estate taxation, entrepreneurship, and wealth," Working Paper Series WP-07-08, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  23. Lilia Maliar & Serguei Maliar, 2003. "Heterogeneity In The Degree Of Quasi-Geometric Discounting: The Distributional Implications," Working Papers. Serie AD 2003-28, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie). [Downloadable!]
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