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Using schooling decisions to estimate the elasticity of marginal utility of consumption

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  • Bergstrom, Katy
  • Dodds, William

Abstract

This paper uses schooling decisions to estimate curvature in utility of consumption in developing countries. We show that the elasticity of marginal utility of consumption (EMUC) can be recovered from three sufficient statistics: (1) the price effect of schooling; (2) the income effect of schooling; and (3) the consumption cost of sending a child to school. We estimate the consumption cost of schooling using variation from the randomized roll-out of Progresa, a conditional cash transfer program in rural Mexico. Using estimates of income and price effects in the Progresa setting from Bergstrom and Dodds (2021), we estimate the EMUC at 1.6.

Suggested Citation

  • Bergstrom, Katy & Dodds, William, 2023. "Using schooling decisions to estimate the elasticity of marginal utility of consumption," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:224:y:2023:i:c:s0047272723001305
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.104948
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Elasticity of marginal utility of consumption; Sufficient statistics; Consumption cost of schooling; Income effect; Price effect;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • H00 - Public Economics - - General - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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