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Financial Innovation, the Decline in Household Savings, and the Trade-off between Flexibility and Commitment

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  • Kovacs, Agnes
  • Moran, Patrick

Abstract

This paper investigates the trade-off between two opposing views of financial innovation: the benefit of improved flexibility and the potential cost of weakened commitment. To disentangle their relative importance, we estimate a model of household behavior that allows for the possibility that housing acts as a savings commitment device. Identification is achieved using novel evidence on consumption growth dynamics. We then use the estimated model to study the macroeconomic and welfare implications of giving households greater access to home equity. We find that the welfare cost of weakened commitment is substantial: approximately 1.7 times larger than the benefit of improved consumption smoothing. Both channels contribute equally to a 2.5 percentage point decline in the personal saving rate. Welfare could be improved using alternative mortgage policies that better balance the trade-off between flexibility and commitment.

Suggested Citation

  • Kovacs, Agnes & Moran, Patrick, 2022. "Financial Innovation, the Decline in Household Savings, and the Trade-off between Flexibility and Commitment," CEPR Discussion Papers 16634, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16634
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    Cited by:

    1. Agnes Kovacs & Hamish Low & Patrick Moran, 2021. "Estimating Temptation And Commitment Over The Life Cycle," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 62(1), pages 101-139, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household consumption; Euler equation; Commitment; Mortgage design;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D15 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E71 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on the Macro Economy
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

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