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The Macrodynamics of Household Debt

Author

Listed:
  • Yun Kim

    (Department of Economics, Trinity College)

  • Alan Isaac

    (Department of Economics, American University)

Abstract

Recent research finds that corporate leverage affects macroeconomic dynamics and can contribute to financial fragility. We show that consumer debt is also important. We add consumer debt to a stock-flow consistent neo-Kaleckian growth model and explore the macrodynamic ramifications. Consumer debt influences effective demand, the profit rate, and economic growth. Unsurprisingly, laxer consumer credit constraints stimulate growth in the short run. However, the long-run effects may be growth reducing. Looser consumer credit can also make the system more vulnerable to changes in the state of confidence, the interest rate, and the saving propensity of rentiers. When consumer debt levels are high, a small increase in the interest rate or increase in the rentiers’s saving propensity, or reduction in the state of confidence can destabilize the macroeconomy. We further extend the model endogenizing the retention ratio. We find that the model becomes structurally unstable. This allows a simple characterization of economic crisis: a downswing in the state of confidence destabilize the macroeconomy. We also observe that higher interest rates and more prudent behavior of rentiers can be destabilizing.

Suggested Citation

  • Yun Kim & Alan Isaac, 2010. "The Macrodynamics of Household Debt," Working Papers 1010, Trinity College, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:tri:wpaper:1010
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    File URL: http://www3.trincoll.edu/repec/WorkingPapers2010/wp10-10.pdf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Laura Carvalho & Corrado Di Guilmi, 2014. "Income inequality and macroeconomic instability: a stock-flow consistent approach with heterogeneous agents," CAMA Working Papers 2014-60, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    2. Laura Carvalho & Corrado Di Guilmi, 2020. "Technological unemployment and income inequality: a stock-flow consistent agent-based approach," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 39-73, January.
    3. Corrado Di Guilmi & Laura Carvalho, 2015. "The dynamics of leverage in a Minskyan model with heterogenous firms," Working Paper Series 28, Economics Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney.
    4. Di Guilmi, Corrado & Carvalho, Laura, 2017. "The dynamics of leverage in a demand-driven model with heterogeneous firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 70-90.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate debt; Consumer debt; Dynamics; Instability;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B59 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Other
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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