Moving Back Home: Insurance against Labor Market Risk

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2012
Volume: 120
Issue: 3
Pages: 446 - 512

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that the option to move in and out of the parental home is a valuable insurance channel against labor market risk, which facilitates the pursuit of jobs with the potential for high earnings growth. Using monthly panel data, I document an empirical relationship among coresidence, individual labor market events, and subsequent earnings growth. I estimate the parameters of a dynamic game between youths and parents to show that the option to live at home can account for features of aggregate data for low-skilled young workers: small consumption responses to shocks, high labor elasticities, and low savings rates.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/666588
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25