Effects of Aspirations and Habits on the Distribution of Wealth

B-Tier
Journal: Scandanavian Journal of Economics
Year: 2014
Volume: 116
Issue: 4
Pages: 1012-1043

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

We analyze how the introduction of habits and aspirations affects the distribution of wealth when the labor productivity of individuals is subject to idiosyncratic shocks and when bequests arise from a joy-of-giving motive. In the presence of either bequests or aspirations, labor income shocks are transmitted intergenerationally, and this transmission, together with contemporaneous shocks, determines the distribution of wealth. We show that the introduction of aspirations (habits) decreases (increases) the average wealth, and increases (decreases) both its intragenerational variability and the degree of intergenerational mobility. Therefore, a distinction between aspirations and habits is relevant because they involve different implications for the distribution of wealth.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:scandj:v:116:y:2014:i:4:p:1012-1043
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25