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A New Method of Estimating Risk Aversion

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  • Raj Chetty

Abstract

This paper develops a method of estimating the coefficient of relative risk aversion (g) from data on labor supply. The main result is that existing estimates of labor supply elasticities place a tight bound on g, without any assumptions beyond those of expected utility theory. It is shown that the curvature of the utility function is directly related to the ratio of the income elasticity of labor supply to the wage elasticity, holding fixed the degree of complementarity between consumption and leisure. The degree of complementarity can in turn be inferred from data on consumption choices when employment is stochastic. Using a large set of existing estimates of wage and income elasticities, I find a mean estimate of g = 1. I also give a calibration argument showing that a positive uncompensated wage elasticity, as found in most studies of labor supply, implies g

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 9988.

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Date of creation: Sep 2003
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Publication status: published as Raj Chetty, 2006. "A New Method of Estimating Risk Aversion," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1821-1834, December.
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:9988
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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty
  • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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