Seminar

Past

Expectation and Wealth Heterogeneity in the Macroeconomy

Alexandre Kohlhas

  • Date21 March 2023
  • Time 11h30 - 12h30
  • Room 5 Espace Conference & Online

Résumé

We document systematic differences in macroeconomic expectations across U.S. households and rationalize our findings with a theory of information choice. We embed this theory into an incomplete-markets model with aggregate risk. Our model is quantitatively consistent with the pattern of expectation heterogeneity in the data. Relative to a full-information counterpart, our model implies substantially increased macroeconomic volatility and inequality. We show through the example of a wealth tax that neglecting the information channel leads to erroneous conclusions about the effects of macroeconomic policies. While in the model without information choice a wealth tax reduces wealth inequality, in our framework it reduces information acquired in the economy, leading to increased volatility and higher top-end wealth inequality in equilibrium.

Related document(s)

Other seminars

What Do 12 Billion Card Transactions Say About House Prices and Consumption?

  • Seminar

  • Banque de France - TSE Macroeconomics Seminars

  • Date 1 December 2026

  • Place online and room 4 great hall

  • Speaker or organiser Ragnar Enger Juelsrud (Norges Bank)

Détails

Quantitative Easing and Government Debt Sustainability

  • Seminar

  • Banque de France - TSE Macroeconomics Seminars

  • Date 17 November 2026

  • Place Online and room 6 Great Hall

  • Speaker or organiser Sebastian Merkel (University of Bristol)

Détails

Past

Inflation Expectations and Wage Setting: The Role of Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity

  • Seminar

  • Banque de France - TSE Macroeconomics Seminars

  • Date 3 November 2026

  • Place Online and room E336

  • Speaker or organiser Sarah Lein (University of Basel)

Détails