• Economic Analysis
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.48-70
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• 2020

Using data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey over the period 1994-2016, we estimate the coefficient of relative prudence in order to capture precautionary saving motive. To do this, we adopt a cohort approach, where we transform such microdata into sample cohort means. Together with initial income involving liquidity constraint, we estimate the relative prudence derived from the Euler equation. The two-stage least-squares (2SLS) between estimate of it obtained from the cohort panel data analysis is too small for the existence of precautionary saving motive, as in previous studies, while the 2SLS random effects estimate is so reasonable. Moreover, the liquidity-constrained cohorts tend to be more sensitive to uncertainty, relative to the unconstrained ones.

• Proceedings of the Korea Inteligent Information System Society Conference
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• 2001.01a
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• pp.325-329
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• 2001

This paper tests existence of precautionary saving motive under health uncertainty, using household level panel data from Korea. For this purpose, this paper considers a dynamic health capital model with health uncertainty and derives testable equations for changes in consumption and medical expenditures. Under this framework, households who face future health uncertainty will exhibit precautionary behavior by depressing consumption or increasing investment in health. To test this hypothesis, the paper uses the conditional variance of health as the direct measure of health uncertainty, obtained by estimating a multinomial logit model. Empirical results using the Korean Household Panel Study (KHPS, 1993 - 1997) suggest that Korean elderly households follow the precautionary behavior to insure against future health risk.