Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?

In principle, there is little reason people, and countries facing different shocks, and income streams should strive for optimal saving rates. But in practice, the inter-temporal choices that underlie saving, are subject to externalities, market fa...

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Main Authors: Servén, Luis, Loayza, Norman, Schmidt-Hebbel, Klaus
Format: Brief
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/1999/08/2505516/saving-know-care
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11468
id okr-10986-11468
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-114682021-04-23T14:02:55Z Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care? Servén, Luis Loayza, Norman Schmidt-Hebbel, Klaus CAPITAL FLOWS CAPITAL MARKET CURRENT PRICES DATA SET DEMOGRAPHICS DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DISPOSABLE INCOME DOWN PAYMENTS ECONOMIC POLICY ELASTICITY EMPIRICAL RESULTS EMPIRICAL STUDIES EXCHANGE RATE EXTERNALITIES FACE VALUE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL INTERMEDIATION FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION FINANCIAL MARKETS FINANCIAL SYSTEMS FOREIGN AID FUNDED SCHEMES GROWTH RATE GROWTH RATES HUMAN CAPITAL INCOME INCOME INCOME EFFECT INCOME LEVEL INCOME LEVELS INCOMES INCREASE INFLATION INSURANCE INTEREST RATES LABOR FORCE LABOR MARKET MARKET DISTORTIONS MARKET IMPERFECTIONS NEGATIVE EFFECT NEGATIVE IMPACT NEOCLASSICAL GROWTH NEOCLASSICAL GROWTH THEORY NET WORTH PAYMENTS ON LOANS PER CAPITA INCOME POLICY MEASURES POOR COUNTRIES POSITIVE EFFECT POVERTY REDUCTION PRIVATE AGENTS PUBLIC DEBT PUBLIC POLICY RETIREMENT SAVINGS STREAMS TAX INCENTIVES URBANIZATION SAVINGS BEHAVIOR SAVINGS PROMOTION EXTERNAL SHOCKS INCOME FLUCTUATIONS MARKET FAILURE POLICY FAILURE SOCIAL WELFARE PRIVATE VALUE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT RATE INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL MARKET VOLATILITY INSURANCE VALUES FINANCIAL CRISES RESEARCH PROJECTS INCOME GENERATION ECONOMIC GROWTH PRIVATE SAVINGS PUBLIC POLICY FISCAL EFFICIENCY FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION PENSION REFORM In principle, there is little reason people, and countries facing different shocks, and income streams should strive for optimal saving rates. But in practice, the inter-temporal choices that underlie saving, are subject to externalities, market failures, and policy distortions, that can cause saving rates to differ from welfare-maximizing levels. The social value of saving could also exceed its private value, because of imperfections in global financial markets. Still, a national saving rate broadly in line with an economy's investment rate, reduces vulnerability to sudden shifts in international capital flows, driven by uncontrollable behavior, or self-fulfilling investor expectations. Yet, as shown by the recent East Asia crisis, high saving alone does not provide complete insurance against the consequences of weak financial systems, or unsustainable exchange rate policies. This is the subject analyzed in this note, through a recent Bank research project, that shows savings has important interactions with income and growth, with resulting implications for policy. Such policies that spur development are an indirect, but effective way to raise private saving. The note further examines this private saving, and public policy, outlining fiscal issues, financial liberalization, and the impact of pension reform. The note reflects on situations where reforms both invite aid, and induce higher investment and growth - so that aid and saving rise together - concluding that aid need not invariably crowd out national saving. 2012-08-13T15:09:13Z 2012-08-13T15:09:13Z 1999-08 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/1999/08/2505516/saving-know-care http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11468 English PREM Notes; No. 28 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Brief Publications & Research
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic CAPITAL FLOWS
CAPITAL MARKET
CURRENT PRICES
DATA SET
DEMOGRAPHICS
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DISPOSABLE INCOME
DOWN PAYMENTS
ECONOMIC POLICY
ELASTICITY
EMPIRICAL RESULTS
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
EXCHANGE RATE
EXTERNALITIES
FACE VALUE
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
FINANCIAL INTERMEDIATION
FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION
FINANCIAL MARKETS
FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
FOREIGN AID
FUNDED SCHEMES
GROWTH RATE
GROWTH RATES
HUMAN CAPITAL
INCOME
INCOME
INCOME EFFECT
INCOME LEVEL
INCOME LEVELS
INCOMES
INCREASE
INFLATION
INSURANCE
INTEREST RATES
LABOR FORCE
LABOR MARKET
MARKET DISTORTIONS
MARKET IMPERFECTIONS
NEGATIVE EFFECT
NEGATIVE IMPACT
NEOCLASSICAL GROWTH
NEOCLASSICAL GROWTH THEORY
NET WORTH
PAYMENTS ON LOANS
PER CAPITA INCOME
POLICY MEASURES
POOR COUNTRIES
POSITIVE EFFECT
POVERTY REDUCTION
PRIVATE AGENTS
PUBLIC DEBT
PUBLIC POLICY
RETIREMENT
SAVINGS
STREAMS
TAX INCENTIVES
URBANIZATION SAVINGS BEHAVIOR
SAVINGS PROMOTION
EXTERNAL SHOCKS
INCOME FLUCTUATIONS
MARKET FAILURE
POLICY FAILURE
SOCIAL WELFARE
PRIVATE VALUE
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT RATE
INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL MARKET VOLATILITY
INSURANCE VALUES
FINANCIAL CRISES
RESEARCH PROJECTS
INCOME GENERATION
ECONOMIC GROWTH
PRIVATE SAVINGS
PUBLIC POLICY
FISCAL EFFICIENCY
FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION
PENSION REFORM
spellingShingle CAPITAL FLOWS
CAPITAL MARKET
CURRENT PRICES
DATA SET
DEMOGRAPHICS
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DISPOSABLE INCOME
DOWN PAYMENTS
ECONOMIC POLICY
ELASTICITY
EMPIRICAL RESULTS
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
EXCHANGE RATE
EXTERNALITIES
FACE VALUE
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
FINANCIAL INTERMEDIATION
FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION
FINANCIAL MARKETS
FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
FOREIGN AID
FUNDED SCHEMES
GROWTH RATE
GROWTH RATES
HUMAN CAPITAL
INCOME
INCOME
INCOME EFFECT
INCOME LEVEL
INCOME LEVELS
INCOMES
INCREASE
INFLATION
INSURANCE
INTEREST RATES
LABOR FORCE
LABOR MARKET
MARKET DISTORTIONS
MARKET IMPERFECTIONS
NEGATIVE EFFECT
NEGATIVE IMPACT
NEOCLASSICAL GROWTH
NEOCLASSICAL GROWTH THEORY
NET WORTH
PAYMENTS ON LOANS
PER CAPITA INCOME
POLICY MEASURES
POOR COUNTRIES
POSITIVE EFFECT
POVERTY REDUCTION
PRIVATE AGENTS
PUBLIC DEBT
PUBLIC POLICY
RETIREMENT
SAVINGS
STREAMS
TAX INCENTIVES
URBANIZATION SAVINGS BEHAVIOR
SAVINGS PROMOTION
EXTERNAL SHOCKS
INCOME FLUCTUATIONS
MARKET FAILURE
POLICY FAILURE
SOCIAL WELFARE
PRIVATE VALUE
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT RATE
INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL MARKET VOLATILITY
INSURANCE VALUES
FINANCIAL CRISES
RESEARCH PROJECTS
INCOME GENERATION
ECONOMIC GROWTH
PRIVATE SAVINGS
PUBLIC POLICY
FISCAL EFFICIENCY
FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION
PENSION REFORM
Servén, Luis
Loayza, Norman
Schmidt-Hebbel, Klaus
Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?
relation PREM Notes; No. 28
description In principle, there is little reason people, and countries facing different shocks, and income streams should strive for optimal saving rates. But in practice, the inter-temporal choices that underlie saving, are subject to externalities, market failures, and policy distortions, that can cause saving rates to differ from welfare-maximizing levels. The social value of saving could also exceed its private value, because of imperfections in global financial markets. Still, a national saving rate broadly in line with an economy's investment rate, reduces vulnerability to sudden shifts in international capital flows, driven by uncontrollable behavior, or self-fulfilling investor expectations. Yet, as shown by the recent East Asia crisis, high saving alone does not provide complete insurance against the consequences of weak financial systems, or unsustainable exchange rate policies. This is the subject analyzed in this note, through a recent Bank research project, that shows savings has important interactions with income and growth, with resulting implications for policy. Such policies that spur development are an indirect, but effective way to raise private saving. The note further examines this private saving, and public policy, outlining fiscal issues, financial liberalization, and the impact of pension reform. The note reflects on situations where reforms both invite aid, and induce higher investment and growth - so that aid and saving rise together - concluding that aid need not invariably crowd out national saving.
format Publications & Research :: Brief
author Servén, Luis
Loayza, Norman
Schmidt-Hebbel, Klaus
author_facet Servén, Luis
Loayza, Norman
Schmidt-Hebbel, Klaus
author_sort Servén, Luis
title Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?
title_short Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?
title_full Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?
title_fullStr Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?
title_full_unstemmed Saving - What Do We Know, and Why Do We Care?
title_sort saving - what do we know, and why do we care?
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2012
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/1999/08/2505516/saving-know-care
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11468
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