Household Debt: Facts, Puzzles, Theories, and Policies
38 Pages Posted: 22 Sep 2014 Last revised: 3 Jul 2023
There are 3 versions of this paper
Household Debt: Facts, Puzzles, Theories, and Policies
Household Debt: Facts, Puzzles, Theories, and Policies
Household Debt: Facts, Puzzles, Theories, and Policies
Date Written: September 2014
Abstract
Borrowing decisions affect most households, with large stakes and implications for subfields as varied as macroeconomics and industrial organization. I review theoretical and empirical work on household debt: its prevalence, level, growth, and composition, as well as various measures of consumer choice and market (in)efficiency, elasticities, and prices, including new evidence on how borrowing heterogeneity affects the distribution of the opportunity cost of consumption. I also discuss opportunities and challenges in policy evaluation. A key takeaway is that puzzles outstrip stylized facts, and I highlight numerous avenues for further research.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation