Show me the money : retained earnings and the real effects of monetary shocks

The empirical literature on monetary policy shocks documents that contractionary shocks are followed by a persistent rise in interest rates and a persistent fall in output. Standard monetary business cycle models can account for the initial effects of monetary shocks, but have difficulty generating persistence. In this paper, I examine whether frictions that affect the asset allocation decisions of households can lead to persistent effects. In the model economy, households hold two assets, one used for transactions (the checking account) and one used for investment (the savings account). There is a small transaction cost for moving funds between the accounts. Another key feature of the economy is that the business sector accumulates retained earnings and credits profits to the consumers only with a delay. I show that in this environment monetary shocks have persistent effects even when the adjustment cost is very small.Monetary shocks, Persistence, Retained earnings

Does Female Empowerment Promote Economic Development?

Empirical evidence suggests that money in the hands of mothers (as opposed to their husbands) benefits children. Does this observation imply that targeting transfers to women is good economic policy? We develop a series of noncooperative family bargaining models to understand what kind of frictions can give rise to the observed empirical relationships. We then assess the policy implications of these models. We find that targeting transfers to women can have unintended consequences and may fail to make children better off. Moreover, different forms of empowering women may lead to opposite results. More research is needed to distinguish between alternative theoretical models.female empowerment, gender equality, development, theory of the household, marital bargaining

Real effects of inflation through the redistribution of nominal wealth

This paper provides a quantitative assessment of the effects of inflation through changes in the value of nominal assets. We document nominal positions in the U.S. across sectors as well as different groups of households, and estimate the redistribution brought about by a moderate inflation episode. Redistribution takes the form of ?ends-against-the-middle:? the middle class gains at the cost of the rich and poor. In addition, inflation favors the young over the old, and hurts foreigners. A calibrated OLG model is used to assess the macroeconomic implications of this redistribution under alternative fiscal policy rules. We show that inflation-induced redistribution has a persistent negative effect on output, but improves the weighted welfare of domestic households.Wealth ; Inflation (Finance)

Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism

The British Industrial Revolution triggered a reversal in the social order whereby the landed elite was replaced by industrial capitalists rising from the middle classes as the economically dominant group. Many observers have linked this transformation to the contrast in values between a hard-working and thrifty middle class and an upper class imbued with disdain for work. We propose an economic theory of preference formation in which both the divergence of attitudes across social classes and the ensuing reversal of economic fortunes are equilibrium outcomes. In our theory, parents shape their children’s preferences in response to economic incentives. If financial markets are imperfect, this results in the stratification of society along occupational lines. Middle-class families in occupations that require effort, skill, and experience develop patience and work ethic, whereas upper-class families relying on rental income cultivate a refined taste for leisure. These class-specific attitudes, which are rooted in the nature of pre-industrial professions, become key determinants of success once industrialization transforms the economic landscape.Endogenous Preferences, Social Classes, Industrial Revolution

Patience Capital and the Demise of the Aristocracy

We model the decision problem of a parent who chooses an occupation and invests in the patience of her children. The two choices complement each other: patient individuals choose occupations with a steep income profile; a steep income profile, in turn, leads to a strong incentive to invest in patience. In equilibrium, society becomes stratified along occupational lines. The most patient people are those in occupations requiring the most education and experience. The theory can account for the demise of the British land-owning aristocracy in the nineteenth century, when rich landowners proved unable to profit from new opportunities arising with industrialization, and were thus surpassed by industrialists rising from the middle classes.discount factor; patience; British aristocracy; Industrial Revolution; capital accumulation; income distribution

Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism

The British Industrial Revolution triggered a reversal in the social order of society whereby the landed elite was replaced by industrial capitalists rising from the middle classes as the economically dominant group. Many observers have linked this transformation to the contrast in values between a hard-working and frugal middle class and an upper class imbued with disdain for work. We propose an economic theory of preference formation where both the divergence of attitudes across social classes and the ensuing reversal of economic fortunes are equilibrium outcomes. In our theory, parents shape their children's preferences in response to economic incentives. This results in the stratification of society along occupational lines. Middle-class families in occupations that require effort, skill, and experience develop patience and work ethics, whereas upper-class families relying on rental income cultivate a refined taste for leisure. These class-specific attitudes, which are rooted in the nature of pre-industrial professions, become key determinants of success once industrialization transforms the economic landscape.