Repository logo
 

Workers, capitalists, and the government: fiscal policy and income (re)distribution.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Cantore, Cristiano 
Freund, Lukas B 

Abstract

We propose a novel two-agent New Keynesian model to study the interaction of fiscal policy and household heterogeneity in a tractable environment. Workers can save in bonds subject to portfolio adjustment costs; firm ownership is concentrated among capitalists who do not supply labor. The model is consistent with micro data on empirical intertemporal marginal propensities to consume, and it avoids implausible profit income effects on labor supply. Relative to the traditional two-agent model, these features imply, respectively, a lower sensitivity of consumption to the composition of public financing; and smaller fiscal multipliers alongside pronounced redistributive effects.

Description

Keywords

Fiscal policy, HANK, Heterogeneity, TANK

Journal Title

J Monet Econ

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0304-3932
1873-1295

Volume Title

119

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/R009295/1)
Freund acknowledges support from the Gates Cambridge Trust (BMGF OPP1144) and Studienförderwerk Klaus Murmann as well as the hospitality of Deutsche Bundesbank.