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Household Composition and Savings: An Empirical Analysis based on the German SOEP Data

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  • Felix Freyland

    (Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA))

Abstract

New developments in the literature on household saving behavior have focused on the question how household savings depend on the composition of a household. This question is of particular interest with respect to aggregate savings when we consider the ongoing changes of the forms of living in recent years (e.g. the tendency to smaller households). As a starting point this paper states some hypotheses about the linkages between household composition and savings that stem from the recent literature. Variables that are claimed to be relevant for household savings include the age sex composition of a household, the intra household distribution of income and the number and age of children within a household. In order to check how relevant these variables are for German households (i.e. do German households differ with respect to these variables) we first describe the composition of German households and how this composition has changed over the last two decades based on the GSOEP data. The variables of interest like age difference between spouses, intra-household distribution of income, labor market participation of spouses are found to be highly relevant among German households. In addition, a tendency to smaller households and later household formation is found to name only a few facts. The last section then tries to test the respective hypotheses about the household composition savings relation. The most important results found are the following Children positively effect savings in younger households but have a negative influence on savings in elder households. Double earners were found to save a significantly higher share of household income. We also found some weak evidence that a longer remaining life expectancy of the wife together with a higher wife’s income share positively effects a household’s savings rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Felix Freyland, 2005. "Household Composition and Savings: An Empirical Analysis based on the German SOEP Data," MEA discussion paper series 05088, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
  • Handle: RePEc:mea:meawpa:05088
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Freyland, Felix, 2004. "Household composition and savings : an overview," Papers 04-69, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    2. repec:bla:scandj:v:102:y:2000:i:2:p:235-51 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Martin Browning & Annamaria Lusardi, 1996. "Household Saving: Micro Theories and Micro Facts," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 34(4), pages 1797-1855, December.
    4. Freyland, Felix, 2004. "Household Composition and Savings: An Overview," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 04-69, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim;Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim.
    5. Browning, Martin, 1995. "Saving and the intra-household distribution of income: an empirical investigation," Ricerche Economiche, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 277-292, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Micheli, Martin, 2015. "Does height affect labor supply? Implications of product variety and caloric needs," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112987, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. repec:zbw:rwirep:0380 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Corneo, Giacomo & Keese, Matthias & Schröder, Carsten, 2008. "Can governments boost voluntary retirement savings via tax incentives and subsidies? A German case study for low-income households," Economics Working Papers 2008-18, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics.
    4. Bram De Rock & Bart Capéau, 2015. "The implications of household size and children for life-cycle saving," Working Paper Research 286, National Bank of Belgium.
    5. Marcus Klemm, 2012. "Job Security Perceptions and the Saving Behavior of German Households," Ruhr Economic Papers 0380, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    6. Klemm, Marcus, 2012. "Job Security Perceptions and the Saving Behavior of German Households," Ruhr Economic Papers 380, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

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