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The dynamics of work and debt

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  • Jeffrey R. Campbell
  • Zvi Hercowitz

Abstract

This paper characterizes the labor supply and borrowing of a household facing collateral requirements that limit its debt and compel it to accumulate equity in its durable goods stock. The household's discount rate exceeds the market rate of interest, so it would otherwise finance increased current consumption by borrowing against future wages. Collateral constraints generate a positive comovement between the household's debt, the stock of durable goods and labor supply following wage or interest rate shocks---as the household's labor supply adjusts to finance down payments on new durable good purchases and the subsequent debt repayment. Increasing the speed of debt repayment amplifies these movements.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey R. Campbell & Zvi Hercowitz, 2004. "The dynamics of work and debt," Working Paper Series WP-04-05, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedhwp:wp-04-05
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Greenwood, Jeremy & Hercowitz, Zvi, 1991. "The Allocation of Capital and Time over the Business Cycle," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(6), pages 1188-1214, December.
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    6. Fortin, Nicole M, 1995. "Allocation Inflexibilities, Female Labor Supply, and Housing Assets Accumulation: Are Women Working to Pay the Mortgage?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(3), pages 524-557, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yau, Ruey & Chen, Guan-Han, 2021. "Assessing energy subsidy policies in a structural macroeconomic model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Pijoan-Mas, Josep & Cerletti, Enzo, 2012. "Durable Goods, Borrowing Constraints and Consumption Insurance," CEPR Discussion Papers 9035, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Eisfeldt, Andrea L. & Rampini, Adriano A., 2007. "New or used? Investment with credit constraints," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(8), pages 2656-2681, November.
    4. Renata Bottazzi & Hamish Low & Matthew Wakefield, 2007. "Why do home owners work longer hours?," IFS Working Papers W07/10, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    5. Orazio Attanasio & Renata Bottazzi & Hamish Low & Lars Nesheim & Matthew Wakefield, 2012. "Modelling the Demand for Housing over the Lifecycle," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Benjamin Eden, 2008. "Implementing the Friedman Rule by a Government Loan Program: An Overlapping Generations Model," Vanderbilt University Department of Economics Working Papers 0804, Vanderbilt University Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor supply; Bank loans; Consumer credit; Debt;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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