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Measuring How Fiscal Shocks Affect Durable Spending in Recessions and Expansions

Author

Listed:
  • David Berger
  • Joseph Vavra

Abstract

We estimate how durable expenditures respond to government spending shocks at different points in the business cycle using a nonlinear VAR approach that allows for the durable multiplier to vary smoothly with the state of the economy. We find strong evidence that the aggregate durable spending response to fiscal shocks is substantially larger during expansions than during recessions, in contrast to what has been has been observed for the aggregate multiplier. We argue that these results are consistent with the theoretical predictions of the fixed cost model of durable demand in Berger and Vavra (2012).

Suggested Citation

  • David Berger & Joseph Vavra, 2014. "Measuring How Fiscal Shocks Affect Durable Spending in Recessions and Expansions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(5), pages 112-115, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:104:y:2014:i:5:p:112-15
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.104.5.112
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alan J. Auerbach & Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2013. "Corrigendum: Measuring the Output Responses to Fiscal Policy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 5(3), pages 320-322, August.
    2. Olivier Blanchard & Roberto Perotti, 2002. "An Empirical Characterization of the Dynamic Effects of Changes in Government Spending and Taxes on Output," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(4), pages 1329-1368.
    3. Robert E. Hall, 2009. "By How Much Does GDP Rise If the Government Buys More Output?," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 40(2 (Fall)), pages 183-249.
    4. David Berger & Joseph Vavra, 2015. "Consumption Dynamics During Recessions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 101-154, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. G.C. Lim & Sarantis Tsiaplias, 2018. "Interest Rates, Local Housing Markets and House Price Over†reactions," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 94(S1), pages 33-48, June.
    2. Giovanni Caggiano & Efrem Castelnuovo & Juan Manuel Figueres, 2020. "Economic Policy Uncertainty Spillovers in Booms and Busts," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 82(1), pages 125-155, February.
    3. Caggiano, Giovanni & Castelnuovo, Efrem & Groshenny, Nicolas, 2014. "Uncertainty shocks and unemployment dynamics in U.S. recessions," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 78-92.
    4. repec:iae:iaewps:wp2016n2 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Ahmed, M. Iqbal & Cassou, Steven P., 2016. "Does consumer confidence affect durable goods spending during bad and good economic times equally?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 86-97.
    6. Manuel Arellano & Stéphane Bonhomme, 2017. "Nonlinear Panel Data Methods for Dynamic Heterogeneous Agent Models," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 9(1), pages 471-496, September.
    7. Choi, Sangyup & Shin, Junhyeok, 2023. "Household indebtedness and the macroeconomic effects of tax changes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 22-52.
    8. Giovanni Caggiano & Efrem Castelnuovo & Gabriela Nodari, 2014. "Uncertainty and Monetary Policy in Good and Bad Times," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0188, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    9. Christopher E. Boehm, 2016. "Government Spending and Durable Goods," CESifo Working Paper Series 6244, CESifo.
    10. Feng-Li Lin & Wen-Yi Chen, 2020. "Did the Consumption Voucher Scheme Stimulate the Economy? Evidence from Smooth Time-Varying Cointegration Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-16, June.
    11. Chak Hung Jack Cheng & Ching‐Wai (Jeremy) Chiu, 2020. "Nonlinear Effects of Mortgage Spreads Over the Business Cycle," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(6), pages 1593-1611, September.
    12. Nguyen, Bao H. & Okimoto, Tatsuyoshi, 2019. "Asymmetric reactions of the US natural gas market and economic activity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 86-99.
    13. Fontaine, Idriss & Razafindravaosolonirina, Justinien & Didier, Laurent, 2018. "Chinese policy uncertainty shocks and the world macroeconomy: Evidence from STVAR," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-19.
    14. Gabriel Temesgen Woldu, 2023. "The asymmetric effect of fiscal policy on private consumption and private investment over a business cycle: Evidence from Sub‐Saharan African countries," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(6), pages 1147-1162, August.
    15. Richard McManus, 2018. "Fiscal Trade‐Offs: The Relationship Between Output and Debt in Policy Interventions," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 86(S1), pages 50-82, September.
    16. Min, Feng & Wen, Fenghua & Wang, Xiong, 2022. "Measuring the effects of monetary and fiscal policy shocks on domestic investment in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 395-412.
    17. Caggiano, Giovanni & Castelnuovo, Efrem & Damette, Olivier & Parent, Antoine & Pellegrino, Giovanni, 2017. "Liquidity traps and large-scale financial crises," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 99-114.
    18. Tomoo Inoue & Tatsuyoshi Okimoto, 2022. "How does unconventional monetary policy affect the global financial markets?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 1013-1036, March.
    19. Baek, Ingul & Liu, Jia & Noh, Sanha, 2024. "Real estate uncertainty and financial conditions over the business cycle," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PB), pages 656-675.
    20. Martin Bruns & Michele Piffer, 2021. "Monetary policy shocks over the business cycle: Extending the Smooth Transition framework," University of East Anglia School of Economics Working Paper Series 2021-07, School of Economics, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    21. Marianna Kudlyak & M. Saif Mehkari & Bill Dupor & Marios Karabarbounis, 2017. "The Effect of the Recovery Act on Consumer Spending," 2017 Meeting Papers 707, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    22. Erik Öberg & Karl Harmenberg, 2016. "Durable Expenditure Dynamics under Time-Varying Income Risk," 2016 Meeting Papers 672, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    23. Manuel Arellano & Stéphane Bonhomme, 2017. "Nonlinear Panel Data Methods for Dynamic Heterogeneous Agent Models," Working Papers wp2018_1703, CEMFI.
    24. Boehm, Christoph E., 2020. "Government consumption and investment: Does the composition of purchases affect the multiplier?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 80-93.
    25. David Berger & Joseph Vavra, 2015. "Consumption Dynamics During Recessions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 101-154, January.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises

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