Consumption and Income Seasonality in Thailand

Many households in developing countries rely on seasonal agriculture for their incomes. This paper investigates whether household consumption expenditure tracks income across seasons. Using data from Thailand, I contrast the seasonal consumption patterns of households with different seasonal income...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of political economy 1993-02, Vol.101 (1), p.39-72
Main Author: Paxson, Christina H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural households
Agricultural seasons
Capital expenditures
Changes
Consumer behavior
Consumer economics
Consumer prices
Consumption
Crops
Data smoothing
Developing countries
Economic models
Household consumption
Households
Income
Income estimates
Income shares
LDCs
Political Economy
Rice
Seasonal
Seasonal variations
Seasonality
Seasons
Social research
Statistical analysis
Studies
Thailand
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Summary:Many households in developing countries rely on seasonal agriculture for their incomes. This paper investigates whether household consumption expenditure tracks income across seasons. Using data from Thailand, I contrast the seasonal consumption patterns of households with different seasonal income patterns and estimate the responsiveness of seasonal consumption to seasonal income. I find little evidence that consumption tracks income over the course of the year. The findings suggest that observed seasonal consumption patterns are the result of seasonal variations in preferences or prices, common to all households, rather than an inability of households to use savings behavior to smooth consumption.
ISSN:0022-3808
1537-534X
DOI:10.1086/261865