A workshop in lifecycle consumption and saving behaviour was held in August 2023 at lake Laugarvatn.
Arnaldur S. Stefánsson presented results on the effect of the mortgage relief in 2015 on household saving behavior. Sigurður P. Ólafsson talked about the effect of the financial crisis in 2008 on household saving behavior in Iceland. Andri Scheving presented results on the saving behavior of the retired population. Erla Björk Sigurðardóttir presented results of her study on whether public employees in Iceland had had a greater propensity to borrow while they had more generous pension benefits. Svend Hougaard Jensen discussed the possibility and desirability of using home equity as a pension device.
Arnaldur Sölvi Kristjánsson introduced some preliminary results from a study with Emil Dagsson on inter-generational mobility.
Some of the presenters focused on issues related to central banks. Þorsteinn S. Sveinsson presented results on the decision patterns of members of the monetary policy committee of the Central Bank of Iceland, in particular which individuals could be labeled as „doves“ and which as „hawks“. Ásgerður Pétursdóttir explained the nature and implications of the introduction of central bank digital currency. Yunus Aksoy discussed the monetary stance of different chairmen of the Federal Reserve Board in the United States.
Carolyn St Aubyn discussed her findings on British households simultaneously having credit card debt and bank deposits, the latter paying lower interest rates.
Finally, there were two presentations on interesting but unrelated issues. Tinna Ásgeirsdóttir discussed her finding on the effect of single parents having handicapped children on the chances of remarriage and Ásthildur M. Jóhannsdóttir discussed research on the effect of COVID-19 on student performance at the University of Iceland and the importance of social networks amongst the students.
