Uncertain pension income and household saving

Arbeitspapier

This paper investigates the relationship between household saving and pensions, and estimates both the displacement effect of pensions on private saving and the precautionary saving effect due to uncertainty in pension income. I estimate the savings equation derived from a lifecycle model featuring income uncertainty using survey data for Dutch households, with subjective expectations on pension benefits and uncertainty. Exploiting exogenous variation due to pension fund performance, I find that households save significantly more due to uncertainty in pension income. Not controlling for uncertainty biases the estimated displacement effect of pensions on private savings towards zero.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Sveriges Riksbank Working Paper Series ; No. 330

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡ ; Social Security and Public Pensions ; Retirement; Retirement Policies
• Subject: Precautionary saving ; Displacement effect ; Subjective expectations

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): van Santen, Peter
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Sveriges Riksbank
• (where): Stockholm
• (when): 2016

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/189930
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET