Paper #947

Title:

Equities and inequality

Author:

Alessandra Bonfiglioli

Date:

September 2005

Abstract:

Most US credit card holders revolve high-interest debt, often combined with substantial (i) asset accumulation by retirement, and (ii) low-rate liquid assets. Hyperbolic discounting can resolve only the former puzzle (Laibson et al., 2003). Bertaut and Haliassos (2002) proposed an 'accountant-shopper'framework for the latter. The current paper builds, solves, and simulates a fully-specified accountant-shopper model, to show that this framework can actually generate both types of co-existence, as well as target credit card utilization rates consistent with Gross and Souleles (2002). The benchmark model is compared to setups without self-control problems, with alternative mechanisms, and with impatient but fully rational shoppers.

Keywords:

Income inequality, financial development, capital market frictions, investor protection, instrumental variables, dynamic panel data

JEL codes:

D31, E44, G30, O15, O16

Area of Research:

Macroeconomics and International Economics

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