Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-02312316.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Keeping up with or running away from the Joneses : the Barro model revisited

Author

Listed:
  • Thi Kim Cuong Pham

    (BETA - Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - UL - Université de Lorraine - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract
This paper reexamines the Barro growth model in a context of interdependent preferences with consumption externality. Agents care about both consumption and social status, which is determined by their relative consumption in society. The results underline the individuals' preferences for status as a key role in explaining long term growth and welfare. In particular, a higher growth rate may correspond to a lower social welfare if increment in growth is explained by status-seeking accompanied by the keeping up with the Joneses. Furthermore, we discuss two public financing systems from the viewpoint of growth and welfare. If lump-sum tax always implies a higher growth rate, income tax may perform better in terms of welfare when government size becomes sufficiently large.

Suggested Citation

  • Thi Kim Cuong Pham, 2019. "Keeping up with or running away from the Joneses : the Barro model revisited," Post-Print hal-02312316, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02312316
    DOI: 10.1007/s00712-018-0624-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Turnovsky, Stephen J. & Monteiro, Goncalo, 2007. "Consumption externalities, production externalities, and efficient capital accumulation under time non-separable preferences," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 479-504, February.
    2. Andrew E. Clark & Paul Frijters & Michael A. Shields, 2008. "Relative Income, Happiness, and Utility: An Explanation for the Easterlin Paradox and Other Puzzles," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(1), pages 95-144, March.
    3. Marrero, Gustavo A. & Novales, Alfonso, 2005. "Growth and welfare: Distorting versus non-distorting taxes," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 403-433, September.
    4. Van Long, Ngo & Shimomura, Koji, 2004. "Relative wealth, status-seeking, and catching-up," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 529-542, April.
    5. Wendner, Ronald, 2010. "Growth And Keeping Up With The Joneses," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(S2), pages 176-199, November.
    6. Nguyen-Van, Phu & Pham, Thi Kim Cuong, 2013. "Endogenous fiscal policies, environmental quality, and status-seeking behavior," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 32-40.
    7. Pham, Thi Kim Cuong, 2005. "Economic growth and status-seeking through personal wealth," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 407-427, June.
    8. Barro, Robert J, 1990. "Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 103-126, October.
    9. Paul Frijters & John P. Haisken-DeNew & Michael A. Shields, 2004. "Money Does Matter! Evidence from Increasing Real Income and Life Satisfaction in East Germany Following Reunification," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 730-740, June.
    10. Corneo, Giacomo & Jeanne, Olivier, 2001. "On relative-wealth effects and long-run growth," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(4), pages 349-358, December.
    11. Gomez, Manuel A., 2006. "Optimal consumption taxation in a model of endogenous growth with external habit formation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 93(3), pages 427-435, December.
    12. Bill Dupor & Wen-Fang Liu, 2003. "Jealousy and Equilibrium Overconsumption," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 423-428, March.
    13. Corneo, Giacomo & Jeanne, Olivier, 1997. "On relative wealth effects and the optimality of growth," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 87-92, January.
    14. Yew-Kwang Ng, 2003. "From preference to happiness: Towards a more complete welfare economics," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 20(2), pages 307-350, March.
    15. Ronald Wendner, 2003. "Status, environmental externality, and optimal tax programs," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 8(5), pages 1-10.
    16. McBride, Michael, 2001. "Relative-income effects on subjective well-being in the cross-section," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 251-278, July.
    17. Walter Fisher & Franz Hof, 2000. "Relative consumption, economic growth, and taxation," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 72(3), pages 241-262, October.
    18. Gerhard Glomm & B. Ravikumar, 1994. "Growth-Inequality Trade-Offs in a Model with Public Sector R&D," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 27(2), pages 484-493, May.
    19. Vendrik, Maarten C.M. & Woltjer, Geert B., 2007. "Happiness and loss aversion: Is utility concave or convex in relative income?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(7-8), pages 1423-1448, August.
    20. Kjell Arne Brekke & Richard B. Howarth, 2002. "Status, Growth and the Environment," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2160.
    21. Lau, Sau-Him Paul, 1995. "Welfare-maximizing vs. growth-maximizing shares of government investment and consumption," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(3-4), pages 351-359, March.
    22. Michael Rauscher, 1997. "Conspicuous consumption, economic growth, and taxation," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 66(1), pages 35-42, February.
    23. Liu, Wen-Fang & Turnovsky, Stephen J., 2005. "Consumption externalities, production externalities, and long-run macroeconomic efficiency," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(5-6), pages 1097-1129, June.
    24. Ferrer-i-Carbonell, Ada, 2005. "Income and well-being: an empirical analysis of the comparison income effect," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(5-6), pages 997-1019, June.
    25. Olof Johansson-Stenman & Fredrik Carlsson & Dinky Daruvala, 2002. "Measuring Future Grandparents" Preferences for Equality and Relative Standing," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(479), pages 362-383, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Alain Heraud & Phu Nguyen-Van & Thi Kim Cuong Pham, 2023. "Public services, environmental quality and subjective well-being in a European city: the case of Strasbourg metropolitan area," Post-Print hal-04384531, HAL.
    2. Manuel A. Gómez, 2022. "The good, the bad and the worse: current, past and future consumption externalities and equilibrium efficiency," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 137(3), pages 195-228, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thi Kim Cuong Pham, 2012. "Status-seeking and economic growth: the Barro model revisited," Working Papers of BETA 2012-06, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    2. Nguyen-Van, Phu & Pham, Thi Kim Cuong, 2013. "Endogenous fiscal policies, environmental quality, and status-seeking behavior," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 32-40.
    3. Thomas Aronsson & Sugata Ghosh & Ronald Wendner, 2023. "Positional preferences and efficiency in a dynamic economy," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 61(2), pages 311-337, August.
    4. Wendner, Ronald, 2010. "Growth And Keeping Up With The Joneses," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(S2), pages 176-199, November.
    5. Hof, Franz X. & Prettner, Klaus, 2019. "The quest for status and R&D-based growth," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 290-307.
    6. Tournemaine, Frederic & Tsoukis, Christopher, 2010. "Gain versus pain from status and ambition: Effects on growth and inequality," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 286-294, April.
    7. Thi Kim Cuong PHAM, 2004. "Wealth distribution, endogenous fiscal policy and growth: status-seeking implications," Working Papers of BETA 2004-11, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    8. Wendner, Ronald & Ghosh, Sugata, 2017. "Positional Preferences: Efficiency and Distortions under Welfarist- and Paternalistic Governments," MPRA Paper 77839, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Ghosh, Sugata & Wendner, Ronald, 2014. "Positional Preferences, Endogenous Growth, and Optimal Income- and Consumption Taxation," MPRA Paper 60337, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. repec:grz:wpaper:2015-03 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Aronsson, Thomas & Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2014. "Positional preferences in time and space: Optimal income taxation with dynamic social comparisons," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1-23.
    12. Wendner, Ronald, 2008. "Externalities in a Model of Perpetual Youth with Age-Dependent Productivity," MPRA Paper 11335, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Fisher, Walter H. & Heijdra, Ben J., 2009. "Keeping up with the ageing Joneses," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 53-64, January.
    14. Andrew E. Clark & Paul Frijters & Michael A. Shields, 2006. "Income and happiness: Evidence, explanations and economic implications," PSE Working Papers halshs-00590436, HAL.
    15. Pham, Thi Kim Cuong, 2005. "Economic growth and status-seeking through personal wealth," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 407-427, June.
    16. Nakamoto, Yasuhiro, 2009. "Jealousy and underconsumption in a one-sector model with wealth preference," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 33(12), pages 2015-2029, December.
    17. Aronsson, Thomas & Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2014. "State-variable public goods and social comparisons," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 390-410.
    18. Wendner, Ronald, 2015. "Do positional preferences for wealth and consumption cause inter-temporal distortions?," MPRA Paper 64086, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Hof, Franz X. & Prettner, Klaus, 2019. "Relative consumption, relative wealth, and long-run growth: When and why is the standard analysis prone to erroneous conclusions?," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 12-2019, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    20. repec:grz:wpaper:2014-09 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Wirl Franz & Novak Andreas J. & Hof Franz X., 2008. "Happiness due to Consumption and its Increases, Wealth and Status," Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics & Econometrics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(4), pages 1-34, December.
    22. Schünemann, Johannes & Trimborn, Timo, 2023. "Boosting taxes for boasting about houses? Status concerns in the housing market," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 120-143.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Income tax; Lump-sum tax; Keeping up with the Joneses; Public spending; Running away from the Joneses; Status-seeking;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02312316. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.