Martha Starr-McCluer

Retrospective Reporting of Household Wealth: Evidence From the 1983–1989 Survey of Consumer Finances

One way to obtain panel-like information on household wealth is to ask households about changes in their asset holdings. Yet the reliability of retrospective data is unclear, considering the potential for recall error. This article examines the reliability of retrospective reporting, using data from the 1983–1989 Survey of Consumer Finances. We find substantial inconsistencies between reported net investments in assets with measured changes in holdings. Inconsistencies are less severe for salient transactions like home sales and more severe for aggregated items like financial assets.

Cyclical fluctuations and sectoral reallocation: A reexamination

Abstract To investigate how sectoral demand shifts affect cyclical unemployment, studies by Murphy-Topel and Loungani-Rogerson examine whether labor mobility rises in recession. Results are contradictory, depending on a priori assumptions about unfinished unemployment spells. This note uses monthly data from the early 1980s and a competing risks hazard approach to overcome this problem. Results confirm the Loungani-Rogerson finding of higher respecialization in recession; however, the countercyclicality is fairly modest when estimated in an unbiased way.