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Intertemporal Choice And The Cross-Sectional Variance Of Marginal Utility

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  • Orazio P. Attanasio
  • Tullio Jappelli

Abstract

The theory of intertemporal choice predicts that the crosssectional variance of the marginal utility of consumption is equal to its own lag plus a constant and a random component. Using general preference specifications and some assumptions about the nature of the random component, we provide an explicit test of this hypothesis. Our approach circumvents the necessity to identify a pure age profile of the crosssectional variance of consumption and yields a well-specified statistical test. This test is applied to data from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The results are remarkably consistent with the restrictions implied by the theory of intertemporal consumption choices. 2000 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Suggested Citation

  • Orazio P. Attanasio & Tullio Jappelli, 2001. "Intertemporal Choice And The Cross-Sectional Variance Of Marginal Utility," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(1), pages 13-27, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:83:y:2001:i:1:p:13-27
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    Cited by:

    1. Orazio P. Attanasio & Nicola Pavoni, 2011. "Risk Sharing in Private Information Models With Asset Accumulation: Explaining the Excess Smoothness of Consumption," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 79(4), pages 1027-1068, July.
    2. Herrala, Risto, 2010. "Credit constraints and durable consumption : A new empirical approach," Research Discussion Papers 15/2010, Bank of Finland.
    3. Tullio Jappelli & Luigi Pistaferri, 2006. "Intertemporal Choice and Consumption Mobility," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 4(1), pages 75-115, March.
    4. Attanasio, Orazio P. & Szekely, Miguel, 2004. "Wage shocks and consumption variability in Mexico during the 1990s," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 1-25, February.
    5. Etheridge, Ben, 2015. "A test of the household income process using consumption and wealth data," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 129-157.
    6. Miguel Székely & Orazio P. Attanasio, 2001. "Sacudidas salariales y variabilidad del consumo en México durante los años 90," Research Department Publications 4266, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    7. Herrala, Risto, 2010. "Credit constraints and durable consumption: A new empirical approach," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 15/2010, Bank of Finland.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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