The purpose of this paper is to test Abel's (1990, 1999) "Catching up with the Joneses" model with a consumption externality using Japanese financial data. It is found that the model is rejected in Japan when it is estimated using generalized empirical likelihood (GEL) estimators.

In order to determine which specification provides better fit of the data, this paper presents several specifications of a closed economy DSGE model with nominal rigidities. The goal of this paper is to find out whether some characteristics widely used in New Keynesian DSGE models, such as habit...

In this paper we analyze the ability of an open economy version of the neoclassical model to account for the time-series evidence on fiscal policy transmission. In a first step, we identify government spending shocks within a vector autoregression model. We find that i) government spending...

An open economy version of the Baxter and King's [1993] model is constructed with habit formation to investigate the dynamic and steady-state effects of an expansionary budget policy. In line with empirical evidence, consumption is weakly responsive, investment is crowded out, the drop in...

One of the most prominent and consistent findings of the recent empirical literature on fiscal policy is that investment expenditure is crowded-out by public spending in the short-run. In this contribution, we address this empirical fact using a dynamic general equilibrium model and show that...

This paper quantifies the welfare cost of consumption externalities in an endogenous growth model with habit formation. Agent’s utility depends on both current consumption and a reference consumption level determined by economy-wide average past consumption. Although utility may be lower in...

This paper studies the policy implications of habits and cyclical changes in agents' appetite for risk-taking. To do so, it analyses the non-linear solution of a New Keynesian (NK) model, in which slow-moving habits help match the cyclical properties of risk-premia. Our findings suggest that the...

A decline in the relative price of imported goods compared to that of domestically produced goods, e.g., caused by domestic currency appreciation, may have different effects on domestic consumption. Such effects may not be accurately detected and measured in a classical permanent-income model...

We analyze the welfare properties of the equilibrium path of a growth model where both habits and consumption externalities affect the utility of consumers. Our analysis highlights the crucial role played by complementarities between externalities and habits in order to generate an inefficient...