Nonseparable Preferences, Frisch Labor Supply, and the Consumption Multiplier of Government Spending: One Solution to a Fiscal Policy Puzzle

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking
Year: 2011
Volume: 43
Issue: 1
Pages: 221-251

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

This paper proposes a theoretical explanation of the positive consumption multipliers of government spending often found in the data. The explanation requires two ingredients. First, labor demand expands (e.g., prices are sticky). Second, general nonseparable preferences over consumption and leisure should be such that the two goods are substitutes; that is, Frisch labor supply elasticity is lower than the constant‐consumption elasticity; this implies that constant‐consumption labor supply shifts left. Existing empirical evidence on the relative magnitudes of the two elasticities supports this hypothesis. The parametric conditions under which the result occurs are consistent with restrictions of concavity and noninferiority of consumption and leisure.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:wly:jmoncb:v:43:y:2011:i:1:p:221-251
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-24