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Life-Cycle Consumption and Children

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  • Thomas H. Jørgensen

    (Copenhagen University)

Abstract

I show that conventional estimators based on the consumption Euler equation, extensively used in studies of intertemporal consumption behavior, produce inconsistent estimates of the effect of children on consumption if potentially binding credit constraints are ignored. As a more constructive contribution, I supply a tractable approach to obtaining bounds on the effect of children and a structural estimation strategy when households face constraints. Finally, I estimate the effect of children on consumption using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) for the US and high quality Danish administrative register data. Results suggest that children does not affect household consumption in the same magnitude previously assumed.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas H. Jørgensen, 2014. "Life-Cycle Consumption and Children," CAM Working Papers 2014_02, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Centre for Applied Microeconometrics.
    • Handle: RePEc:kud:kuieca:2014_02
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    File URL: http://www.econ.ku.dk/cam/wp0910/CAMwp2_2014.pdf/
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas H. Jørgensen, 2016. "Euler equation estimation: Children and credit constraints," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 7(3), pages 935-968, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Consumption; Children; Life Cycle; Credit Constraints; Structural Estimation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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