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Cash for Corollas: When Stimulus Reduces Spending

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  • Hoekstra, Mark
  • Puller, Steven L
  • West, Jeremy

Abstract

The 2009 Cash for Clunkers program aimed to stimulate consumer spending in the new automobile industry, which experienced disproportionate reductions in demand and employment during the Great Recession. Exploiting program eligibility criteria in a regression discontinuity design, we show more than half of the subsidies went to households who would have purchased during the two-month program anyway; the rest accelerated sales by no more than eight months. Moreover, the program's fuel efficiency restrictions shifted purchases toward vehicles that cost on average $7,600 less. Thus, we estimate on net the $3 billion program reduced total new vehicle spending by $5 billion. (JEL E32, E62, E65, H24, H31, L62)

Suggested Citation

  • Hoekstra, Mark & Puller, Steven L & West, Jeremy, 2017. "Cash for Corollas: When Stimulus Reduces Spending," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt1bd3d2rm, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:ucscec:qt1bd3d2rm
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Linn, Joshua, 2020. "How Targeted Vehicle Scrappage Subsidies Can Reduce Pollution Effectively," RFF Issue Briefs 20-09, Resources for the Future.
    2. Peter Haan & Adrián Santonja & Aleksandar Zaklan, 2025. "Effectiveness and Heterogeneous Effects of Purchase Grants for Electric Vehicles," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 88(1), pages 185-223, January.
    3. Helm, Ines & Koch, Nicolas & Rohlf, Alexander, 2023. "The effects of cash for clunkers on local air quality," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Jack Dunbar & Christopher J. Kurz & Geng Li & Maria D. Tito, 2024. "In the Driver's Seat: Pandemic Fiscal Stimulus and Light Vehicles," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2024-013, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    5. Bajo-Buenestado, Raúl & Borrella-Mas, Miguel Ángel, 2025. "Market competition and the adoption of clean technology: Evidence from the taxi industry," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • E65 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Studies of Particular Policy Episodes
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • L62 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Automobiles; Other Transportation Equipment; Related Parts and Equipment

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