The value of registry data for consumption analysis: An application to health shocks

Jonas Kolsrud, Camille Landais and Johannes Spinnewijn

Journal of Public Economics, 2020, vol. 189, issue C

Abstract: This paper measures consumption expenditures using registry data on income and asset holdings in Sweden. We show how a registry-based measure complements traditional survey measures of consumption and can alleviate some critical limitations. We describe the construction of our measure, which builds on prior work and exploits the identity coming from the household budget constraint between consumption expenditures and income net of savings. We demonstrate the value of the registry-based measure to study consumption responses to shocks, also relative to surveyed consumption. In our application to health shocks, we find that Swedish household experience permanent earning drops, but generous social transfers provide substantial consumption smoothing. We document important heterogeneity in consumption responses and the limited role for private means.

Keywords: Consumption; Measurement; Registry data; Health shocks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Working Paper: The value of registry data for consumption analysis: an application to health shocks (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:189:y:2020:i:c:s0047272719301495

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2019.104088

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