Money in the Utility Function: an Empirical Implementation

30 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2004 Last revised: 28 Apr 2023

See all articles by James M. Poterba

James M. Poterba

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Julio J. Rotemberg

Harvard University, Business, Government and the International Economy Unit (deceased); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (deceased)

Date Written: 1986

Abstract

This paper studies household asset demands by allowing certain assets to contribute directly to utility. It estimates the parameters of an aggregate utility function which includes both consumption and liquidity services.These liquidity services depend on the level of various asset stocks. We apply these estimates to investigate the long- and short-run interest elasticities of demand for money, time deposits, and Treasury bills. We also examine the impact of open market operations on interest rates, and present new estimates of the welfare cost of inflation.

Suggested Citation

Poterba, James M. and Poterba, James M. and Rotemberg, Julio J., Money in the Utility Function: an Empirical Implementation (1986). NBER Working Paper No. w1796, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=338837

James M. Poterba (Contact Author)

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Julio J. Rotemberg

Harvard University, Business, Government and the International Economy Unit (deceased) ( email )

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