HUMAN CAPITAL AND LIFE-CYCLE EFFECTS ON RISK AVERSION

1986 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Bellante ◽  
Richard P. Saba
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Risk Aversion ◽  
Life Cycle Effects

Micro and Macro Labor Supply Elasticities: A Reassessment of Conventional Wisdom

2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 464-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Keane ◽  
Richard Rogerson
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Optimal Design ◽  
Labor Supply ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Human Capital Accumulation ◽  
Micro Data ◽  
Large Aggregate ◽  
Economic Issues

The response of aggregate labor supply to various changes in the economic environment is central to many economic issues, especially the optimal design of tax policies. Conventional wisdom based on studies in the 1980s and 1990s has long held that the analysis of micro data leads one to conclude that aggregate labor supply elasticities are quite small. In this paper we argue that this conventional wisdom does not hold up to empirically reasonable and relevant extensions of simple life cycle models that served as the basis for these conclusions. In particular, we show that several pieces of conventional wisdom fail in the presence of human capital accumulation or labor supply decisions that allow for adjustment along both the extensive and intensive margin. We conclude that previous estimates of small labor supply elasticities based on micro data are fully consistent with large aggregate labor supply elasticities. (JEL D91, E24, J22)

Optimal Mirrleesean Taxation in a Ben-Porath Economy

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Kapička
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Income Taxes ◽  
Optimal Tax ◽  
Cycle Economy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Optimal Taxes

I characterize optimal taxes in a life-cycle economy where ability and human capital are unobservable. I show that unobservable human capital effectively makes preferences over labor nonseparable across age. I generalize the static optimal tax formulas to account for such nonseparabilities and show how they depend both on own-Frisch labor elasticities and cross-Frisch labor elasticities. I calibrate the economy to US data. I find that the optimal marginal income taxes decrease with age, in contrast to both the US tax code and to a model with observable human capital. I demonstrate that the behavior of cross-Frisch elasticities is essential in explaining the decline. (JEL D91, H21, H24, J24)

Optimal Life Cycle Unemployment Insurance

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 816-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Michelacci ◽  
Hernán Ruffo
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Moral Hazard ◽  
Unemployment Insurance ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Life Cycle Model ◽  
Cycle Model ◽  
Welfare Gains ◽  
High Return ◽  
Unemployment Risk

We argue that US welfare would rise if unemployment insurance were increased for younger and decreased for older workers. This is because the young tend to lack the means to smooth consumption during unemployment and want jobs to accumulate high-return human capital. So unemployment insurance is most valuable to them, while moral hazard is mild. By calibrating a life cycle model with unemployment risk and endogenous search effort, we find that allowing unemployment replacement rates to decline with age yields sizeable welfare gains to US workers. (JEL D91, E24, J13, J64, J65)

Health, Human Capital, and Life Cycle Labor Supply

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (5) ◽  
pp. 127-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Hokayem ◽  
James P. Ziliak
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Labor Supply ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Capital Stock ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Health Capital ◽  
Supply Model

We use new PSID data on consumption and health, along with information on annual sick time, to estimate a structural labor supply model that incorporates a health capital stock with the traditional human capital learning-by-doing model. The estimates show strong evidence of learning by doing as well as strong persistence in health. However, the estimates reveal that time and money seem to have little effect on health consistent with 'flat of the curve' medicine. We find strong evidence that consumption and leisure are direct substitutes in preferences, and consumption and leisure are each utility complements with good health.

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