The purpose of this paper is to identify conditions under which hedonic price indexes provide an exact measure of consumer welfare, so that the welfare effects of quality change can be inferred. Our results are quite positive in providing a rational for existing practices, though the conditions...

The issue of asset accumulation and decumulation is central to the life cycle theory of consumer behavior and to many policy questions. One of the main implications of the life cycle model is that assets are decumulated in the last part of life. Most empirical studies in this area use...

Using pseudo-panel data, we estimate the structuralparameters of a life--cycle consumption model with discrete laborsupply choice. A focus of our analysis is the abrupt drop inconsumption upon retirement for a typical household. Theliterature sometimes refers to the drop, which in the...

Does a higher real interest rate induce significant postponement of consumption? According to the theory developed here, this question can be answered by studying the relation between the rate of growth of consumption and expected real interest rates. In postwar data for the United States,...