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Tough Love And Intergenerational Altruism

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  • Vipul Bhatt
  • Masao Ogaki
Abstract
This article develops and studies a tough love model of intergenerational altruism. We model tough love by modifying the Barro‐Becker standard altruism model in two ways. First, the child’s discount factor is endogenously determined, so lower childhood consumption leads to a higher discount factor later in life. Second, the parent evaluates the child’s lifetime utility with a constant high discount factor. Our model predicts that parental transfers will fall when the child’s discount factor falls. This is in contrast with the standard altruism model, which predicts that parental transfers are independent of exogenous changes in the child’s discount factor.

Suggested Citation

  • Vipul Bhatt & Masao Ogaki, 2012. "Tough Love And Intergenerational Altruism," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(3), pages 791-814, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:iecrev:v:53:y:2012:i:3:p:791-814
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2354.2012.00701.x
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    3. Kohei Kubota, 2017. "Intergenerational Wealth Elasticity in Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 68(4), pages 470-496, December.
    4. Horag Choi & Nelson C. Mark, 2009. "Trending Current Accounts," NBER Working Papers 15244, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    6. Mengyuan Zhou, 2019. "The Effect of the Source of Inheritance on Bequest Attitudes: Evidence from Japan," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2019-018, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    7. Lin Zhang & Shinsuke Ikeda, 2016. "Welfare-enhancing parental altruism and children’s habit formation," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 63(3), pages 281-303, September.
    8. Michael Darden & Donna Gilleskie, 2016. "The Effects of Parental Health Shocks on Adult Offspring Smoking Behavior and Self‐Assessed Health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(8), pages 939-954, August.
    9. Vipul Bhatt & Masao Ogaki & Yuichi Yaguchi, 2015. "Normative Behavioural Economics Based on Unconditional Love and Moral Virtue," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 66(2), pages 226-246, June.
    10. Matthias Doepke & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2017. "Parenting With Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85, pages 1331-1371, September.
    11. Higashi, Youichiro & Hyogo, Kazuya & Takeoka, Norio, 2014. "Stochastic endogenous time preference," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 77-92.
    12. Richard C. Barnett & Joydeep Bhattacharya & Mikko Puhakka, 2013. "Patience Cycles," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 169(2), pages 339-354, June.
    13. Vipul Bhatt, 2011. "Adolescent Alcohol Use and Intergenerational Transfers: Evidence from Micro Data," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 296-307, June.
    14. Vipul Bhatt & Masao Ogaki & Yuichi Yaguchi, 2014. "A Reformulation of Normative Economics for Models with Endogenous Preferences," IMES Discussion Paper Series 14-E-02, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan.
    15. Vasileios Kotsidis, 2018. "Call to Action: Intrinsic Motives and Material Interests," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-24, November.
    16. K. Ali Akkemik & Marcus Dittrich & Koray Göksal & Kristina Leipold & Masao Ogaki, 2013. "Worldviews and Intergenerational Altruism: Empirical Evidence for Germany," ERSA conference papers ersa13p823, European Regional Science Association.
    17. Kohei Kubota, 2017. "Intergenerational Wealth Elasticity in Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 68(4), pages 470-496, December.
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