The Spending and Debt Response to Minimum Wage Hikes

65 Pages Posted: 13 Jun 2008 Last revised: 12 Feb 2011

See all articles by Daniel Aaronson

Daniel Aaronson

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Sumit Agarwal

National University of Singapore

Eric French

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); Faculty of Economics

Date Written: May 29, 2008

Abstract

Following a minimum wage hike, household income rises on average by about $250 per quarter and spending by roughly $700 per quarter for households with minimum wage workers. Most of the spending response is caused by a small number of households who purchase vehicles. Furthermore, we find that the high spending levels are financed through increases in collateralized debt. Our results are consistent with a model where households can borrow against durables and face costs of adjusting their durables stock.

Keywords: consumption, minimum wage, debt, liquidity constraint, durables

JEL Classification: D1'8 J3, E21

Suggested Citation

Aaronson, Daniel and Agarwal, Sumit and French, Eric, The Spending and Debt Response to Minimum Wage Hikes (May 29, 2008). FRB of Chicago Working Paper No. 2007-23, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1144222 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1144222

Daniel Aaronson (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago ( email )

230 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60604-1413
United States

Sumit Agarwal

National University of Singapore ( email )

15 Kent Ridge Drive
Singapore, 117592
Singapore
8118 9025 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ushakrisna.com

Eric French

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ( email )

7 Ridgmount Street
London, WC1E 7AE
United Kingdom

Faculty of Economics ( email )

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