This paper gauges the strenght of precautionary saving motives by estimating the coefficient of prudence from the U.K. Family Expenditure Survey data set (a time series of cross-sections). Most instrumental variables estimates reveal that larger uncertainty leads to smaller current saving, and...

This paper gauges the strength of precautionary saving motives by estimating the coefficient of prudence from the U.K. Family Expenditure Survey data set (a time series of cross-sections). The instrumental variables estimates reveal that greater uncertainty systematically leads to larger current...