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Intertemporal Choice and Consumption Mobility

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Author Info
Tullio Jappelli () (University of Salerno, CSEF, and CEPR)
Luigi Pistaferri () (Stanford University and CEPR)

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Abstract

The theory of intertemporal consumption choice makes sharp predictions about the evolution of the entire distribution of household consumption, not just about its conditional mean. In the paper, we study the empirical transition matrix of consumption using a panel drawn from the Bank of Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth. We estimate the parameters that minimize the distance between the empirical and the theoretical transition matrix of the consumption distribution. The transition matrix generated by our estimates matches remarkably well the empirical matrix, both in the aggregate and in samples stratified by education. Our estimates strongly reject the consumption insurance model and suggest that households smooth income shocks to a lesser extent than implied by the permanent income hypothesis.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Center for Financial Studies in its series CFS Working Paper Series with number 2005/28.

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Length: 88 pages
Date of creation: 01 Apr 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:cfs:cfswop:wp200528

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Related research
Keywords: Consumption Dynamics; Mobility;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D52 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Incomplete Markets
D91 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - General

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References listed on IDEAS
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.:
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  30. Orazio Attanasio & Tullio Jappelli, 1998. "Intertemporal Choice and the Cross Sectional Variance of Marginal Utility," CSEF Working Papers 06.1998, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy. [Downloadable!]
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  31. Luigi Pistaferri & Tullio Jappelli, 1998. "Using Subjective Income Expectations to Test for Excess Sensitivity of Consumption to Predicted Income Growth," CSEF Working Papers 12, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy. [Downloadable!]
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  32. Phelan, J.C., 1990. "Incentives, Insurance And The Variability Of Con Somption And Leisure," Working papers 90-26, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
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Full references

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. Fabien Postel-Vinay & Hélène Turon, 2005. "The Public Pay Gap in Britain: Small Differences That (Don't?) Matter," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 05/121, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Miguel Székely & Orazio P. Attanasio, 2001. "Sacudidas salariales y variabilidad del consumo en México durante los años 90," RES Working Papers 4266, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  3. Hans Hoogeveen, 2001. "Evidence on Informal Insurance in Rural Zimbabwe," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 01-001/2, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  4. Christopher D Carroll, . "Precautionary Saving and the Marginal Propensity To Consume Out of Permanent Income," Economics Working Paper Archive 445, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Christopher D. Carroll, 2000. "Requiem for the Representative Consumer? Aggregate Implications of Microeconomic Consumption Behavior," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(2), pages 110-115, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Tullio Jappelli & Mario Padula & Luigi Pistaferri, 2005. "A Direct Test of the Buffer-Stock Model of Saving," CSEF Working Papers 150, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. repec:bep:eaptop:v:6:y:2006:i:1:p:1474-1474 is not listed on IDEAS
  8. Alexander Karaivanov, 2003. "Financial Contracts and Occupational Choice," Computing in Economics and Finance 2003 25, Society for Computational Economics. [Downloadable!]
  9. Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay & Frank Cowell, 2007. "Modelling Vulnerability in the UK," Economics Series Working Papers 313, University of Oxford, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Conniffe, Denis & O'Neill, Donal, 2009. "Efficient Probit Estimation with Partially Missing Covariates," IZA Discussion Papers 4081, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  11. Richard Blundell & Luigi Pistaferri & Ian Preston, 2002. "Partial insurance, information and consumption dynamics," IFS Working Papers W02/16, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Miguel Székely & Orazio P. Attanasio, 2001. "Wage Shocks and Consumption Variability in Mexico during the 1990s," RES Working Papers 4265, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Denis Conniffe & Donal O’Neill, 2008. "An Efficient Estimator for Dealing with Missing Data on Explanatory Variables in a Probit Choice Model," Economics, Finance and Accounting Department Working Paper Series n1960908.pdf, Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting, National University of Ireland - Maynooth. [Downloadable!]
  14. José María Casado García, 2008. "From Income to Consumption: Measuring Households Partial Insurance," Working Papers 2008-09, FEDEA. [Downloadable!]
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