Call for Papers
Conference on Household Finance and Consumption

17-18 October 2013, Frankfurt

In April 2013, the European Central Bank released two reports with results from the first wave of the Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) - a micro dataset with detailed information on household balance sheets in the euro area - and started making the data available to researchers (for access to the data and further information regarding the survey, see http://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/researcher_hfcn.en.html). Following this, the ECB organises a conference on household finance and consumption, to be held on 17 and 18 October 2013 in Frankfurt. The objective of the conference is to present research on household asset accumulation, debt, and consumption behaviour over the life cycle. The focus of the conference is on research that makes use of household survey data, with some preference for cross-country comparative analysis and for papers making use of the HFCS data.

TOPICS: We actively solicit papers in the following areas, but other related areas may also be considered:
- Household consumption, saving, and portfolio choice
- Financing retirement and demographic developments
- Housing, mortgage markets, and financial markets
- Household finance, credit constraints and monetary policy
- Household indebtedness and financial distress
- Behavioural approaches to household asset accumulation, debt, and consumption
- Financial literacy, financial sophistication, and the role of professional advice in shaping financial behaviour
- Household payment habits
- Household finances and the financial crisis

FURTHER INFORMATION: Keynote addresses will be given by Richard Blundell (University College London) and Christopher Carroll (Johns Hopkins University). For the programme of the earlier Conferences on Household Finance and Consumption in 2008 and 2010, see http://www.ecb.europa.eu/events/conferences/html/ecb_cfs_conference.en.html and http://www.ecb.europa.eu/events/conferences/html/joint_ecb_lux.en.html

PAPER SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: Authors can submit extended abstracts, but full papers are preferred. Interested authors should submit their papers by 15 July 2013 to: HFCS@ecb.europa.eu. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by 15 September 2013, full versions of papers are expected by 20 September 2013.

ORGANISING COMMITTEE: Michael Ehrmann (ECB), Ioannis Ganoulis (ECB), Michalis Haliassos (CFS and Goethe University), Tullio Jappelli (University of Naples Federico II), Jiri Slacalek (ECB), Peter Tufano (University of Oxford).

EXPENSES: Economy class travel expenses and accommodation (up to 2 nights) of presenting authors and discussants will be reimbursed. Participants from central banks and other official institutions are expected to cover their own expenses.