Credit Constraints, Productivity Shocks and Consumption Volatility in Emerging Economies
Electronic Access:
Free Download. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file
Summary:
How does access to credit impact consumption volatility? Theory and evidence from advanced economies suggests that greater household access to finance smooths consumption. Evidence from emerging markets, where consumption is usually more volatile than income, indicates that financial reform further increases the volatility of consumption relative to output. We address this puzzle in the framework of an emerging economy model in which households face shocks to trend growth rate, and a fraction of them are credit constrained. Unconstrained households can respond to shocks to trend growth by raising current consumption more than rise in current income. Financial reform increases the share of such households, leading to greater relative consumption volatility. Calibration of the model for pre and post financial reform in India provides support for the model's key predictions.
Series:
Working Paper No. 2013/120
Subject:
Consumption Financial markets Financial sector development Income Income shocks Labor National accounts
English
Publication Date:
May 22, 2013
ISBN/ISSN:
9781484325988/1018-5941
Stock No:
WPIEA2013120
Pages:
33
Please address any questions about this title to publications@imf.org