MPIDR Working Paper

From transfers to capital: analyzing the Spanish demand for wealth using NTA

Sánchez Romero, M., Patxot, C., Renteria, E., Souto, G.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-2010-029, 47 pages.
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (October 2010)
Open Access

Abstract

Inter- and intra-family transfers are a very important part of our daily economic activity. These transfers, whether familial or public, may influence our economic decisions to the same extent that financial markets do. In this paper, we seek to understand how the Spanish stock of capital will evolve if the set of intergenerational transfers observed in year 2000 are maintained in the future. With that aim in mind, we have implemented a general equilibrium overlapping generations model with realistic public and familial transfers drawn from the National Transfer Accounts project (NTA). Given that familial transfers go from parents to children, and public transfers go from children to parents, we show that the Spanish baby boom and baby bust will make the second demographic dividend temporary, and that welfare will be reduced from 2040 onwards.
Keywords: Spain, demographic ageing, economic demography, economic growth
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.