Risk-Sharing, Altruism, and the Factor Structure of Consumption

49 Pages Posted: 28 Jun 2004 Last revised: 25 Dec 2022

See all articles by Fumio Hayashi

Fumio Hayashi

National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies; GRIPS

Joseph G. Altonji

Yale University - Economic Growth Center; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Yale University - Cowles Foundation

Laurence J. Kotlikoff

Boston University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy

Date Written: September 1991

Abstract

We consider four models of consumption that differ with respect to efficient risk-sharing and altruism. They range from complete markets with altruism to family risk-sharing. We use a matched sample of parents and independent children available from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to discriminate between the four models. Our testing procedure is designed to deal with the set of observed independent children being endogenously selected. The combined hypothesis of complete markets and altruism can be decisively rejected, while we fail to reject altruism and hence family risk-sharing for a subset of families.

Suggested Citation

Hayashi, Fumio and Altonji, Joseph G. and Kotlikoff, Laurence J., Risk-Sharing, Altruism, and the Factor Structure of Consumption (September 1991). NBER Working Paper No. w3834, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=302568

Fumio Hayashi (Contact Author)

National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies ( email )

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Japan

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Joseph G. Altonji

Yale University - Economic Growth Center ( email )

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Laurence J. Kotlikoff

Boston University - Department of Economics ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy

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