Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
In this paper, the authors argue that the aggregate unemployment rate is a valuable measure of aggregate income uncertainty. According to the theory of precautionary saving, an increase in income uncertainty would be expected to increase saving. The authors use U.S. quarterly data on the consumption of motor vehicles first to examine whether unemployment has a negative effect on consumption and then to differentiate between the various explanations for this phenomenon. They conclude that the negative relationship between unemployment and consumption is due in large part to precautionary saving motives. Copyright 1996 by Royal Economic Society.