Saving Behavior in Low and Middle-Income Developing Countries: A Comparison

Masao Ogaki, Jonathan Ostry and Carmen Reinhart

No 1995/003, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: The impact of changes in real interest rates on saving and growth is a central issue in development economics. According to one familiar view, a financial liberalization program which increases real interest rates should encourage saving, thereby boosting investment and growth. While such liberalizations have indeed typically succeeded in raising real interest rates, their impact on private saving has been mixed. This paper uses macroeconomic data for a sample of countries with diverse income levels to estimate a model in which the intertemporal elasticity of substitution varies with the level of wealth. The estimated parameters are then used to calculate, in the context of a simple endogenous growth model, the responsiveness of saving to real interest rate changes for countries at differing stages of development.

Keywords: WP; real rate of interest; rate of return; utility function; saving rate; saving elasticity; discount factor; subsistence consumption level; food consumption; consumption growth; Real interest rates; Income; Consumption; Domestic savings; Private savings; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38
Date: 1995-01-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (70)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Saving Behavior in Low- and Middle-Income Developing Countries: A Comparison (1996)
Working Paper: Saving Behavior in Low- and Middle-Income Developing Countries: A Comparison (1996)
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