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The Time-Series Properties of Aggregate Consumption: Implications for the Costs of Fluctuations

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Reis, Ricardo

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Abstract

While this is typically ignored, the properties of the stochastic process followed by aggregate consumption affect the estimates of the costs of fluctuations. This paper pursues two approaches to modelling aggregate consumption dynamics and to measuring how much society dislikes fluctuations, one statistical and one economic. The statistical approach estimates the properties of consumption and calculates the cost of having consumption fluctuating around its mean growth. The paper finds that the persistence of consumption is a crucial determinant of these costs and that the high persistence in the data severely distorts conventional measures. It shows how to compute valid estimates and confidence intervals. The economic approach uses a calibrated model of optimal consumption and measures the costs of eliminating income shocks. This uncovers a further cost of uncertainty, through its impact on precautionary savings and investment. The two approaches lead to costs of fluctuations that are higher than the common wisdom, between 0.5% and 5% of per capita consumption.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 5054.

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Date of creation: May 2005
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:5054

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Related research
Keywords: consumption persistence; costs of fluctuations; models of aggregate consumption;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General

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Cited by:
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  1. Mauricio A. Hernández & Munir A. Jalil & Carlos Esteban Posada, . "El Costo de los Ciclos Económicos en Colombia: Una Nueva Estimación," Borradores de Economia 353, Banco de la Republica de Colombia. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Pengfei Wang & Yi Wen, 2007. "Endogenous volatility, endogenous growth, and large welfare gains from stabilization policies," Working Papers 2006-032, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. [Downloadable!]
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