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Human Capital Investment and Debt Constraints

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  • David Andolfatto

    (Simon Fraser University)

  • Martin Gervais

    (University of Western Ontario)

Abstract

When young individuals face binding debt constraints, their human capital investments will be insufficiently financed by private creditors. If generations overlap, then a well-designed fiscal policy may be able to improve human capital investments by replacing missing capital markets with an intergenerational transfer scheme. The optimal (balanced budget) fiscal policy in this context entails the joint provision of an education subsidy for the young and a pension program for the old, financed with a tax on those in their peak earning years. We demonstrate, however, that the desirability of such a cradle-to-grave policy depends crucially on the assumption of an exogenous debt constraint. If debt constraints arise endogenously for reasons of limited commitment, then the optimal (balanced budget) fiscal policy looks radically different. Furthermore, we find that cradle-to-grave type policy interventions may actually lead to lower levels of human capital investment as altered default incentives induce private creditors to contract the supply of student loans by an amount greater than the subsidy. In some cases, the constrained-optimal policy entails zero intervention. These results highlight the importance of taking seriously the reasons for why debt constraints exist. (Copyright: Elsevier)

Suggested Citation

  • David Andolfatto & Martin Gervais, 2006. "Human Capital Investment and Debt Constraints," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 9(1), pages 52-67, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:red:issued:v:9:y:2006:i:1:p:52-67
    DOI: 10.1016/j.red.2005.08.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Lance J. Lochner & Alexander Monge-Naranjo, 2011. "The Nature of Credit Constraints and Human Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(6), pages 2487-2529, October.
    2. David Croix & Philippe Michel, 2007. "Education and growth with endogenous debt constraints," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 33(3), pages 509-530, December.
    3. Bernhard Eckwert & Itzhak Zilcha, 2017. "Student loans: When is risk sharing desirable?," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 13(2), pages 217-231, June.
    4. Miyazaki, Koichi, 2016. "Student loans, fertility, and economic growth," MPRA Paper 71604, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Azariadis, Costas & Kaas, Leo, 2013. "Endogenous credit limits with small default costs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 148(2), pages 806-824.
    6. Krebs, Tom & Kuhn, Moritz & Wright, Mark L. J., 2016. "Insurance in Human Capital Models with Limited Enforcement," IZA Discussion Papers 9948, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Erasmo Papagni, 2008. "The Long-run Effects of Household Liquidity Constraints and Taxation on Fertility, Education, Saving, and Growth," Discussion Papers 11_2008, D.E.S. (Department of Economic Studies), University of Naples "Parthenope", Italy.
    8. Bhattacharya, Joydeep & Qiao, Xue & Wang, Min, 2016. "Endogenous Borrowing Constraints And Wealth Inequality," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(6), pages 1413-1431, September.
    9. Andolfatto, David & Gervais, Martin, 2008. "Endogenous debt constraints in a life-cycle model with an application to social security," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 3745-3759, December.
    10. Maria Sarigiannidou & Theodore Palivos, 2012. "A Modern Theory of Kuznets’ Hypothesis," Working Papers 201202, Texas Christian University, Department of Economics.
    11. Torben M. Andersen & Joydeep Bhattacharya, 2013. "The Intergenerational Welfare State," CESifo Working Paper Series 4359, CESifo.
    12. Kubin, Ingrid & Zörner, Thomas O., 2021. "Credit cycles, human capital and the distribution of income," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 954-975.
    13. Tom Krebs & Moritz Kuhn & Mark L. J. Wright, 2015. "Human Capital Risk, Contract Enforcement, and the Macroeconomy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(11), pages 3223-3272, November.
    14. Del Rey, Elena & Lopez-Garcia, Miguel-Angel, 2020. "On government-created credit markets for education and endogenous growth," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 170-179.
    15. Wang, Min, 2010. "Essays on Environment, Natural Resource, Growth and Development," ISU General Staff Papers 201001010800002824, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    16. Tom Krebs & Moritz Kuhn & Mark Wright, 2017. "Under-Insurance in Human Capital Models with Limited Enforcement," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 25, pages 121-150, April.
    17. Boldrin, Michele & Montes, Ana, 2015. "Modeling an immigration shock," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 190-206.
    18. Ingrid Kubin & Thomas O. Zörner, 2017. "Human Capital in a Credit Cycle Model," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp251, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    19. Min Wang, 2014. "Optimal education policies under endogenous borrowing constraints," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 55(1), pages 135-159, January.
    20. Lance Lochner & Alexander Monge-Naranjo, 2012. "Credit Constraints in Education," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 225-256, July.
    21. Kellermann, Kersten & Schlag, Carsten-Henning, 2006. "Bildung als öffentliche Aufgabe in Liechtenstein: Eine ökonomische Analyse des Bildungswesens unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Hochschule. Studie im Auftrag der Regierung des Fürstentums Liechten," KOFL Studien, Konjunkturforschungsstelle Liechtenstein (KOFL), Vaduz, volume 3, number 3.
    22. Satyajit Chatterjee & Felicia Ionescu, 2012. "Insuring student loans against the financial risk of failing to complete college," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 3(3), pages 393-420, November.
    23. Destrée, Nicolas & Gente, Karine & Nourry, Carine, 2021. "Migration, remittances and accumulation of human capital with endogenous debt constraints," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 38-60.
    24. Joydeep Bhattacharya & Monisankar Bishnu & Min Wang, 2023. "Credit Markets with time-inconsistent agents and strategic loan default," Discussion Papers 23-01, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education; Fiscal policy; Debt constraints;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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