• Title/Summary/Keyword: precautionary saving theory

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Householder's Working Type and Household Saving: A Perspective of the Precautionary Saving Behavior Theory (가구주 근로유형과 가계저축: 예비적 저축행동 이론의 관점)

  • Shim, Young
    • Journal of Consumption Culture
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.93-118
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    • 2012
  • The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a householder's working type on household saving from the perspective of precautionary saving behavior theory and the determinants of household saving by householder's working type. The data for this study was from the 2009 year of the Korea Welfare Panel Survey (KOWEPS), consisting of 2,463 households with householders whose working type was regular or non-regular employment(temporary, daily or public work). OLS regression analyses and Chow-tests were performed. In the regression analyses, the dependent variables for household saving were precautionary saving and precautionary asset. Precautionary saving was operationalized with the amount of average monthly saving and the ratio of average monthly saving to average monthly disposable income, and precautionary asset was operationalized with the amount of financial assets and the ratio of financial assets to net assets. The independent variables were household income, household assets, householder's working type(regular, non-regular), householder's age, sex, education level and marriage status, income level, the number of household members, housing type, debt, and public transfer income. Monthly average total consumption expenditures for household income, and net assets for household assets, the existence of spouse for marriage status, poverty for income level were used. Public transfer income was classified into three, social insurance, basic assistance and government assistance. For the analyses, Stata 11.0 version was used. The results are as follows: Householder's working type was significantly related to the precautionary saving behavior of a household. However, the precautionary saving and the precautionary asset of a household with a householder in non-regular working type was lower than those of a household with a householder in regular working type. This result is not consistent with the expectation from the perspective of precautionary saving behavior that the saving of a household with a householder in non-regular working type is expected to be higher than that of a household with a householder in regular working type. According to the analyses of the determinants for precautionary saving behavior by householder's working type, monthly average total consumption expenditures, debt, net assets, poverty, the number of household members, basic assistance were statistically significant variables. The positive relation of basic assistance to precautionary saving(the amount of average monthly saving and the ratio of average monthly saving)is a noteworthy result in the analyses of the determinants for household saving by householder's working type. The above results suggest the followings. First, it is easy to predict the unstability of economic life of a household with a householder in non-regular working type because of relatively low precautionary saving and precautionary asset. The reason for the low precautionary saving and the low precautionary asset may be a low current income of the household in spite of its willingness to save. If this reasoning is possible, it suggests that policies are needed for households with householders in non-regular working type to save. Second, the relatively low precautionary saving and precautionary asset of a household with a householder in non-regular working type suggest also their long-term economic stability. This suggests they need to try a long-term financial planning even though they have limitations to save for future because of their low current income. It is necessary to develop the financial planning for the households with unstable incomes. Third, the determinants for precautionary saving behavior by householder's working type were mostly the ones which reflect the economic condition of a household. This suggests that the economic condition of a household is a core factor for household saving. Consequently, it emphasizes the efforts for a household to acquire the adequate level of income for saving. Forth, the positive relation of basic assistance to precautionary saving(the amount of average monthly saving and the ratio of average monthly saving) suggests the possibility for a household to accumulate the precautionary saving and the precautionary asset in the channel of basic assistance.

Employment Instability and Security Funds in U.S. Households

  • Baek, Eun-Woung
    • International Journal of Human Ecology
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.55-75
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    • 2003
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of employment related factors on household savings for precautionary purposes when controlling for financial security and to compare the results between the two different economic periods. A conceptual framework was developed based on the precautionary saving theory, the family stress theory, and previous empirical studies. As a self-insurance, a measure of security funds were developed and used as the dependent variable. Using data on working households in the 1992 and the 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), a MLE estimation was conducted on the pooled data. The 1992 and 1998 data were used to reflect periods of economic recession and expansion, respectively. The results suggested that factors representing resources played the most significant role in determining the amount of security funds. Some of the employment related factors, preferences, financial security, and race were also significantly affected the amount of security funds. The results suggested that stable employment conditions were important for households to accumulate security funds. Households with more human resources and financial resources had a larger amount of security funds than those that had less human and financial resources. From the findings, implications for research, policies, and financial educators had been suggested.