Habit formation, dynastic altruism, and population dynamics

Schäfer, Andreas and Valente, Simone (2011) Habit formation, dynastic altruism, and population dynamics. Macroeconomic Dynamics, 15 (3). pp. 365-397. ISSN 1365-1005

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

We study the general equilibrium properties of two growth models with overlapping generations, habit formation, and endogenous fertility. In the neoclassical model, habits modify the economy's growth rate and generate transitional dynamics in fertility; stationary income per capita is associated with either increasing or decreasing population and output, depending on the strength of habits. In the AK specification, growing population and increasing consumption per capita require that the habit coefficient lie within definite boundaries; outside the critical interval, positive growth is associated with either declining consumption due to overcrowding, or extinction paths with declining population. In both frameworks, habits reduce fertility: the trade-off between second-period consumption and spending for bequests prompts agents to decrease fertility in order to make parental altruism less costly. This mechanism suggests that status-dependent preferences may explain part of the decline in fertility rates observed in most developed economies.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Economics
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Environment, Resources and Conflict Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Economic Theory
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	24 Sep 2016 00:57
Last Modified:	07 Mar 2024 02:04
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/60330
DOI:	10.1017/S136510051000009X

Actions (login required)

View Item