‘Mondays in the Sun:’ Unemployment, Time Use, and Consumption Patterns in Spain

  1. Ahn, Namkee 1
  2. Jimeno, Juan F. 13
  3. Ugidos, Arantza 2
  1. 1 FEDEA, Madrid, Spain
  2. 2 Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
    info

    Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

    Lejona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/000xsnr85

  3. 3 Universidad de Alcalá
    info

    Universidad de Alcalá

    Alcalá de Henares, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04pmn0e78

Mostrar afiliaciones +
Libro:
Contributions to Economic Analysis

Editorial: Elsevier

ISSN: 0573-8555

ISBN: 978-0-444-51534-6

Año de publicación: 2004

Páginas: 237-259

Tipo: Capítulo de Libro

DOI: 10.1016/S0573-8555(04)71009-3 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Resumen

This study is a first step toward learning about the implications of unemployment for the combination of consumption expenditures and time use within households under the theoretical basis of Beckers (1965) household production theory. We examine the Spanish experience, where the unemployment rate was above 15% from the early 1980s to the late 1990s and, clearly, many unemployed workers were out of jobs involuntarily. Our results seem consistent with the main prediction of household production theory. As time is less scarce, we expect that unemployed workers spend more time in the production of commodities, which are relatively time-intensive. Time-intensive commodities (passive leisure, active leisure, housework, and child care) are produced more in households with unemployed individuals. We also find that (with the exception of single females) the proportion of consumption expenditures in time-saving goods is lower in households with unemployed individuals.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Alvarez, (2003), Journal of Population Economics, 16, pp. 3, 10.1007/s001480200126
  • Becker, (1965), Economic Journal, 75, pp. 493, 10.2307/2228949
  • Benhabib, (1991), Journal of Political Economy, 99, pp. 1166, 10.1086/261796
  • Bentolila S. and A. Ichino (2003), “Unemployment and consumption: why are job losses less painful than expected near the Mediterranean”, Unpublished Paper, CEMFI, Madrid.
  • Bjo ̈rklund, (1985), Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 20, pp. 469, 10.2307/145679
  • Browning, M. and T. Crossley (1998), “Shocks, stocks and socks: consumption smoothing and the replacement of durables during an unemployment spell”, Unpublished Paper, University of Copenhagen.
  • Castillo, S., J. Dolado and J.F. Jimeno (1998), “The fall in consumption from being unemployed in Portugal and Spain”, Discussion Paper No. 1953, CEPR.
  • Clark, (1994), Economic Journal, Vol. 104, pp. 359, 10.2307/2234639
  • Di Tella, R., R.J. MacCulloch and A.J. Oswald (2002), “The macroeconomics of happiness”, Unpublished Paper, University of Warwick.
  • Dynarski, (1997), Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1, pp. 229, 10.2307/2534704
  • Greenwood, (1995)
  • Gronau, (1997), Vol. 1
  • Gronau R. and D. Hamermesh (2003), “Time vs. goods: the value of measuring household production technologies”, NBER, Working Paper No. 9650.
  • Gruber, (1997), American Economic Review, 87, pp. 192
  • Hallberg, (2003), Journal of Population Economics, 16, pp. 205, 10.1007/s001480200133
  • Hansen, (1992), Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Spring, pp. 2
  • Hertkorn G. and M. Kracht (2002), “Analysis of a large-scale time-use survey with respect to travel demand and regional aspects”, Unpublished Paper.
  • Hurd, (1980), Quarterly Journal of Economics, 95, pp. 225, 10.2307/1885497
  • Joyce, (1999), Monthly Labor Review, 122, pp. 3
  • Juster, (1991), Journal of Economic Literature, 29, pp. 471
  • Korpi, (1997), Labour Economics, Vol. 4, pp. 125, 10.1016/S0927-5371(97)00002-X
  • Layard, (2003)
  • Parente, (2000), Journal of Political Economy, 108, pp. 680, 10.1086/316102
  • Prodromidis P.J. (2003), “Unpaid work, non-work, and the labour supply: tobit or heckit? Female evidence from a 1999 British survey”, Unpublished Paper.
  • Ruhm C.J. (2003), “Healthy living in hard times”, NBER Working Paper No. 9468.
  • Ruhm, (2002), Journal of Health Economics, 21, pp. 659, 10.1016/S0167-6296(02)00033-4
  • Rupert, (2000), Journal of Monetary Economics, 46, pp. 557, 10.1016/S0304-3932(00)00038-6