We present theoretical and empirical results on consumption during an unemployment spell. The theory model extends the conventional intertemporal allocation model to take explicit account of the fact that households buy clothing and small durable goods (such as pillows and plates) that are...

The costs of involuntary job loss are an object of substantial research and policy interest. We consider the measurement of the costs of job displacement with household expenditure data. We explicitly derive a "difference-in-difference" estimator from a structural life cycle model. This exercise...