In this paper, we explore the role of female labor supply as an insurance mechanism against idiosyncratic earnings risk within the family. We use a life-cycle model in which a unitary family makes consumption, saving, and labor supply decisions. Additional uncertainty increases female...

In this paper we consider conditions under which the estimation of a log-linearized Euler equation for consumption yields consistent estimates of the preference parameters. When utility is isoelastic and a sample covering a long time period is available, consistent estimates are obtained from...

This paper studies the life-cycle labor supply of three cohorts of American women, born in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. We focus on the increase in labor supply of mothers between the 1940s and 1950s cohorts. We construct a lifecycle model of female participation and savings, and calibrate the...

This paper models individual demand for housing over the life-cycle, and shows the implications of this behaviour for aggregate demand. Individuals delay purchasing their first home when incomes are low or uncertain. This delay is exacerbated by downpayment constraints. Higher house prices lead...

Stochastic evolutionary processes can be used to determine which equilibrium a society selects, but expected waiting times for the transition to such an equilibrium can be fantastically large. Waiting times are reduced if interaction is predominantly local or if the selection process is very...