Liquidity-Constrained Households in an Italian Cross-Section

This paper attempts to evaluate the effects of capital market imperfections on consumer behavior, on the basis of cross-sectional Italian data. We evaluate the difference between desired and observed consumption using a technique proposed by Hayashi. We find that in Italy borrowing constraints are more severe than in the United States, and that they are more stringent for young households, non-home-owners, the unemployed and consumers living in the Southern regions.