A Model of Competitive Saving Over the Life-cycle, and its Implications for the Saving Rate Puzzle in China

Type Report
Title A Model of Competitive Saving Over the Life-cycle, and its Implications for the Saving Rate Puzzle in China
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
URL http://econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:jmp:jm2014:pni317
Abstract
This paper develops a life-cycle model with multi-dimensional matching in a frictionless
marriage market where a single man’s rank is determined by his age and wealth relative
to others. Using stable matching patterns, I analyze how people’s marital age and
saving behavior jointly respond to marriage market imbalances. In particular, with
wealth as a status good for mating competition, an otherwise standard age profile of
saving rates is downward-sloping in the pre-marital cohorts under the marriage squeeze.
This result is consistent with recent empirical findings from China. In addition, both
the age gap between spouses and the aggregate saving rate rise when the sex ratio
increases. Neglecting the response in marital ages will lead to an overstatement of the
effect of the sex ratio imbalance on the increase of the aggregate saving rate.

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