Household Production and the Excess Sensitivity of Consumption to Current Income

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 1999
Volume: 89
Issue: 4
Pages: 902-920

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Empirical research on the permanent-income hypothesis (PIH) has found that consumption growth is excessively sensitive to predictable changes in income. This finding is interpreted as strong evidence against the PIH. We propose an explanation for apparent excess sensitivity that is based on a quantitative equilibrium model of household production in which permanent-income consumers respond to shifts in sectoral wages and prices by substituting work effort and consumption across home and market sectors. Although the PIH is true, this mechanism generates apparent excess sensitivity because market consumption responds to predictable income growth.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:89:y:1999:i:4:p:902-920
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24