Previous tests for liquidity constraints using consuption Euler equations have frequently split the sample on the basis of wealth, arguing that low-wealth consumers are likely tp be constrained. We propose alternative tests using different and more direct information on borrowing constraints...

Previous tests for liquidity constraints using consumption Euler equations have frequently split the sample on the basis of welath arguing that low wealth consumers are more likely to be constrained. We propose alternative tests using different and more direct information on borrowing...

This study surveys the existing debate on the taxation of the intergenerational transfers. Understanding the effect of transfer taxes on the intergenerational transmission of wealth requires answering the difficult question of what is the effect of taxes on bequest. On the one hand, the economic...

Theory suggests that people facing higher uninsurable background risk buy more insurance against other risks that are insurable. This proposition is supported by Italian cross-sectional data. Its shown that the probability of purchasing casualty insurance increases with earnings uncertainty.

The 1991 Italian Survey of Household Income and Wealth contains detailed retrospective information on major bequests and gifts received by each member of the household. This information is used to estimate the share of intergenerational transfers in total welath and to relate this share to...

We test for excess sensitivity of consumption to predicted income growth using a 1989–93 panel survey of Italian households that includes measures of subjective income and inflation expectations. These expectations provide a powerful instrument for predicting income growth. Controlling for the...