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Family Labor Supply and the Life Cycle: Estimating the Browning, Deaton and Irish Household Model

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Author Info
Philip Merrigan () (Center for Research on Economic Fluctuations and Employment, UQAM)

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Abstract

This paper presents results from the estimation of Browning, Deaton and Irish's life-cycle household model (Econometrica 1985) with eighteen waves and 380 couples from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. A labor supply equation is estimated for both husbands and wives. We present an econometric strategy that overcomes the important numerical difficulties associated with the estimation of the wives' labor supply schedule. Relative to former studies that find very large labor supply wage elasticities for wives: out study produces considerably smaller wage elasticities. However, the intertemporal elasticities remain in the range of those previously reported. We identify, for the first time with U.S. data two robust results from the female labor supply estimates: husband and wife leisure are substitutes, while the wife's leisure time and consumption are complements. The results for husband's are less encouraging. The additional wage effects do not solve the problem traditionnaly associated with life-cycle studies of male labor supply, i.e. the low or negative intertemporal wage effect.

Nous présentons, ici, les résultats de l'estimation du modèle de cycle de vie de Browning, Deaton et Irish (Econometrica (1985)), faite avec 18 vagues et 380 couples du Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Une équation d'offre de travail est estimée pour l'époux et l'épouse du ménage. Nous présentons une stratégie d'estimation qui résoud les importants problèmes numériques associés à ce modèle. Pour les épouses, nous trouvons des élasticités d'offre de travail par rapport au salaire qui sont beaucoup plus faibles que celles calculées dans des études antérieures sur l'offre de travail des femmes. De plus, pour ces mêmes épouses, nous identifions, une première avec des données américaines, deux résultats robustes: le loisir des hommes et des femmes sont substituts, et le loisir des femmes et la consommation du ménage sont compléments. Les résultats pour les hommes sont moins encourgeants. En effet, le problème traditionnellement associé aux études sur le cycle de vie de l'offre de travail masculin, soit les élasticités de substitution intertemporelles faibles ou négatives, n'est pas résolu par la spécification de Browning, Deaton et Irish.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by CREFE, Université du Québec à Montréal in its series Cahiers de recherche CREFE / CREFE Working Papers with number 26.

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Length: 56 pages
Date of creation: May 1994
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:cre:crefwp:26

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Related research
Keywords: Family labor supply; PSID;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

Cited by:
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  1. William Chin, 2004. "Estimating and testing intertemporal preferences: A unified framework for consumption, work and savings," GE, Growth, Math methods 0409002, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-12-28.


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