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Changing Patterns in Household Ownership of Municipal Debt: Evidence from the 1989-2013 Surveys of Consumer Finances

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Bergstresser

    (Brandeis University)

  • Randolph Cohen

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstract

The period since 1989 has seen significant changes in the structure of household ownership of municipal debt, with ownership becoming concentrated in a smaller number of households over time. The share of households holding any municipal debt fell from 4.6 percent to 2.4 percent between 1989 and 2013. The share of total debt that is held by the wealthiest 0.5 percent of households rose from 24 percent to 42 percent over the same period. These changes have coincided with the growth of tax-deferred retirement investment accounts such as 401(k) plans as a primary location of household investing. Municipal bonds, which pay tax-exempt interest, are almost never held inside of these tax-deferred accounts. These changing patterns of ownership have implications for the political economy of the municipal bond market.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Bergstresser & Randolph Cohen, 2015. "Changing Patterns in Household Ownership of Municipal Debt: Evidence from the 1989-2013 Surveys of Consumer Finances," Working Papers 87, Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:brd:wpaper:87
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    File URL: http://www.brandeis.edu/economics/RePEc/brd/doc/Brandeis_WP87.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Bergstresser, Daniel & Poterba, James, 2004. "Asset allocation and asset location: household evidence from the survey of consumer finances," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(9-10), pages 1893-1915, August.
    3. Arthur B. Kennickell & R. Louise Woodburn, 1999. "CONSISTENT WEIGHT DESIGN FOR THE 1989, 1992 AND 1995 SCFs, AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 45(2), pages 193-215, June.
    4. Daniel Feenberg & Elisabeth Coutts, 1993. "An introduction to the TAXSIM model," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(1), pages 189-194.
    5. Bulow, Jeremy & Rogoff, Kenneth, 1989. "Sovereign Debt: Is to Forgive to Forget?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(1), pages 43-50, March.
    6. Lisa J. Dettling & Joanne W. Hsu, 2014. "The State of Young Adults’ Balance Sheets: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 96(4), pages 305-330.
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    Cited by:

    1. Konul Amrahova Riegel, 2021. "Solving the Muni Puzzle: Who Benefits from Tax Exemption of Government Debt?," Public Finance Review, , vol. 49(1), pages 71-105, January.
    2. Bi, Huixin & Traum, Nora, 2023. "Unconventional monetary policy and local fiscal policy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Tania Babina & Chotibhak Jotikasthira & Christian Lundblad & Tarun Ramadorai, 2021. "Heterogeneous Taxes and Limited Risk Sharing: Evidence from Municipal Bonds [The distribution of realized stock return volatility]," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(1), pages 509-568.
    4. John M. Griffin & Nicholas Hirschey & Samuel Kruger, 2023. "Do Municipal Bond Dealers Give Their Customers “Fair and Reasonable” Pricing?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 78(2), pages 887-934, April.

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    Keywords

    Municipal bonds;

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