Consumption and Wage Humps in a Life-cycle Model with Education

Holger Kraft, Claus Munk, Frank Thomas Seifried, Mogens Steffensen

Publikation: Working paperForskning

Abstract

The observed hump-shaped life-cycle pattern in individuals' consumption cannot be explained by the classical consumption-savings model. We explicitly solve a model with utility of both consumption and leisure and with educational decisions affecting future wages. We show optimal consumption is hump shaped and determine the peak age. The hump results from consumption and leisure being substitutes and from the implicit price of leisure being decreasing over time; more leisure means less education, which lowers future wages, and the present value of foregone wages decreases with age. Consumption is hump shaped whether the wage is hump shaped or increasing over life.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
UdgivelsesstedFrankfurt am Main
UdgiverJohann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität
Antal sider46
StatusUdgivet - 2014
NavnSAFE Working Paper
Nummer53

Emneord

  • Education
  • Leisure
  • Consumption hump
  • Wage hump

Citationsformater