Topic 3- Consumption, Saving and Investment Flashcards
What is national desired consumption (C^d)?
The aggregate quantity of goods and services that households optimally consume, given income and other factors that determine economic opportunities
What is desired national saving (S^d)?
Level of aggregate saving when consumption is at its desired level
What is the formula for desired national saving (S^d)?
S^d = Y - C^d - G
What are the 2 periods of an individual’s consumption lifespan?
Current and future period
What is the budget constraint formula of the current period of an individual?
assets in the future period = current income + assets - current consumption
a^f = y + a - c
What is the budget constraint formula for the future period?
future period consumption = future period income + (1+real interest rate) x assets in the future period
c^f = y^f + (1+r)a^f
What is dissaving (|s|)?
Spending more than you have; c > y
When is an individual a borrower?
When: consumption > income + assets
c > y + a
When is an individual a lender?
When: consumption < income + assets
What is the trade-off between current and future consumption?
1 dollar of current consumption is traded for 1+r dollars of future consumption
By combining the current and future budget constraints, what is the overall budget constraint?
c + c^f/1+r = y + a + y^f/1+r
What is the utility maximisation problem for a household?
max U = u(c) + βu(c^f)
What does β represent?
Represents how the individual weighs current and future consumption. The more weight the individual places on future utility, the greater β is
What is the Euler equation/utility optimality condition?
u’(c) = β(1+r)u’(c^f)
What should the consumer do if the Euler equation does not hold true? i.e there’s an inequality
If the marginal utility of current consumption is greater than future consumption, the consumer should reduce future consumption and raise current consumption until they are indifferent
What is the consumption smoothing motive?
The desire to have a relatively even pattern of consumption
What is PVLR?
Present value of lifetime resources
What 3 changes does an increase in current income (y) provoke?
- Increase in PVLR
- The consumption smoothing motive dictates both current and future consumption increase
- Saving increases
What is marginal propensity to consume (mpc)?
The fraction of additional current income (y) that the individual allocates to current consumption (c)
What change does an increase in future income (y^f) provoke?
The same as an increase in current income except saving falls because current income remains constant
What does the Euler equation state?
That the individual must be indifferent between consuming one more unit today and saving that unit and consuming it in the future
What are the 2 main changes provoked by an increase in the real interest rate (r)?
- Substitution effect: current consumption (c) has become more expensive so falls whilst future consumption (c^f) and saving (s) rise
- Income effect: an increase in r implies an increase in wealth, hence a fall in c and c^f and a rise in s
What is the equation for expected real after-tax interest rate?
expected real after-tax interest rate = (1-tax rate)nominal interest rate - expected inflation
r^e_a-t = (1-t)i - π^e
What is the Ricardian equivalence proposition?
The idea that tax cuts do not affect consumption and do not affect national saving
What is the effect on tax on current desired consumption?
It’s ambiguous; it may either raise or lower current desired consumption
What are the 2 types of change in income?
- Temporary change: current income (y) changes while expected future income (y^f) is unchanged
- Permanent change: both current income (y) and future income (y^f) rise
What is the permanent income theory of consumption?
A permanent one-unit increase in income will raise current and future consumption more than a temporary one-unit increase will because it has a greater effect on PVLR