Can a Representative-Agent Model Represent a Heterogeneous-Agent Economy

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics
Year: 2009
Volume: 1
Issue: 2
Pages: 29-54

Authors (3)

Sungbae An (not in RePEc) Yongsung Chang (not in RePEc) Sun-Bin Kim (Yonsei University)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

Accounting for observed fluctuations in aggregate employment, consumption, and real wage using the optimality conditions of a representative household requires preferences that are incompatible with economic priors. In order to reconcile theory with data, we construct a model with heterogeneous agents whose decisions are difficult to aggregate because of incomplete capital markets and the indivisible nature of labor supply. If we were to explain the model-generated aggregate time series using decisions of a stand-in household, such a household must have a nonconcave or unstable utility as is often found with the aggregate US data. (JEL E13, E24)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejmac:v:1:y:2009:i:2:p:29-54
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25