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Consumption and saving behaviour: modelling recent trends

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  • Orazio Attanasio

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University College London)

Abstract

This paper illustrates recent trends in household consumption and personal savings in the UK and the US and discusses some theoretical models that can be used to interpret them. The trends in these two countries are interesting for several reasons. The decline in personal saving rates in the US during the 1980s is an unresolved puzzle. The corresponding variable in the UK has undergone large fluctuations, as have several other variables ranging from projected demographic trends to female labour supply. This paper stresses the need to analyse individual data to shed some light on these aggregate trends. It also stresses the need to have a sound structural model to interpret observed patterns in the data. The theoretical framework discussed throughout the paper is the life-cycle model, which views consumption and saving decisions as part of a dynamic optimisation process. The development of the model and the current research agenda and ways that it can be enriched with various degrees of sophistication are discussed. Particular attention is devoted to the discussion of the most recent developments.

Suggested Citation

  • Orazio Attanasio, 1997. "Consumption and saving behaviour: modelling recent trends," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 23-47, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:fistud:v:18:y:1997:i:1:p:23-47
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    File URL: http://www.ifs.org.uk/fs/articles/fsorazi.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Orazio Attanasio & Margherita Borella, 2006. "Stochastic Components of Individual Consumption: A Time Series Analysis of Grouped Data," NBER Working Papers 12456, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Andersson, Björn, 1999. "On the Causality Between Saving and Growth: Long- and Short-Run Dynamics and Country Heterogeneity," Working Paper Series 1999:18, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    3. Paulo Santos Monteiro, 2007. "Family Labor Supply, Precautionary Behavior, Aggregate Saving and Employment," 2007 Meeting Papers 180, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    4. Caporale, Guglielmo Maria & Williams, Geoffrey, 2001. "Monetary Policy and Financial Liberalization: The Case of United Kingdom Consumption," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 177-197, April.
    5. Swati Prasad & Ravi Kiran & Rakesh Kumar Sharma, 2021. "Examining saving habits and discriminating on the basis of demographic factors: A descriptive study of retail investors'," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 2859-2870, April.
    6. Hernandez Martinez, Fernando, 2007. "El ahorro privado de las familias y las pensiones públicas en Alemania y Estados Unidos:¿cumplimiento de la hipótesis del ciclo vital? [Household private saving and public pensions in Germany and t," MPRA Paper 18044, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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