• Journal of Consumption Culture
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.213-247
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to analyze the economic structures of low-income households, and to provide the policy suggestions for their economic well-being. The data for this study was from the 2009 year of the Korea Welfare Panel Survey (KOWEPS). The results are as follows: As for income structure, the low-income households had lower amounts in earned income, business and side-work income, and property income, but a higher amount in transfer income. They had a lower amount in private transfer income, but a higher amount in public transfer income. They had the highest rate of transfer income, showing that the rate of public transfer income was higher than that of private transfer income, and the government assistance was the highest rate in public transfer income. The households in extreme poverty had the lowest amounts in earned income, financial income, private transfer income, but the highest amount in public transfer income. The households in poverty had the lowest amount in transfer income. The households in extreme poverty, poverty and near poverty showed the highest rate in transfer income. As for asset structure, the low-income households had a lower amount in every type of assets. They showed the highest rate in total debt, and had a higher rate in housing asset, but lower rates in real-estate asset, financial asset and other asset. The households in extreme poverty had a lower amount in every type of assets than the households in near poverty. Three types of the low-income households showed the highest rate in housing asset, but the households in extreme poverty was the highest among them. As for expenditure structure, the low-income households had lower amounts in all of the expenditure items. They showed the highest rate in food expenditure, the second highest in other consumption expenditure. The households in extreme poverty showed lower amounts in almost all of the expenditure items than the households in near poverty, but the households in extreme poverty showed a higher amount in monthly rent than the households in neat poverty. Three types of the low-income households showed the highest rate in food expenditure. The expenditure rates of food, monthly rent and light·heat·water for households in extreme poverty were higher than those for the households in near poverty.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1-25
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• 2011

Available evidence suggests that the average marginal propensity to consume (MPC) from the 2001 tax rebate in the US was not nearly as large as that from previous tax cuts. We examine if this phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the widespread use of credit cards has made borrowing accessible for most US households by constructing a model that simulates the dynamic effect of relaxed borrowing constraints. Our model uses Kreps-Porteus preferences which account for independent measures of relative risk aversion and the elasticity of intertemporal substitution, both of which can theoretically affect the willingness to save or spend. Our model shows that the average MPC drops substantially immediately after borrowing constraints are relaxed because few consumers have binding borrowing constraints at that time. The model also shows that consumers gradually reduce their wealth after borrowing constraints are relaxed, causing more of them to have binding constraints over time, which in turn causes the average MPC to rise gradually to a new steady state value that is slightly lower than the original value. This dynamic pattern of the MPC suggests that a greater ability to borrow with credit cards could explain the lower effectiveness of the 2001 tax rebate. In addition, the model predicts that consumers choose to hold lower amounts of liquid assets for precautionary reasons when they have a greater ability to borrow unsecured debt.