Arnaldur Stefansson

Short presentation

I am a postdoctoral researcher in economics at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University.

The main goal of my research is to cast light on how tax, pension and housing policies affect behavior. In my work I have, among other things studied:

  • how housing wealth and housing policies affect consumption
  • the effect of mandatory pension savings on total savings and consumption
  • labor supply adjustments to tax reforms and how frictions affect estimation of structural parameters

Keywords

  • behavioral economics
  • labor economics
  • public economics
  • urban economics

Biography

Arnaldur Stefansson is a postdoctoral researcher in economics at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, since 2021.

Arnaldur's main research interest is on the design of tax, pension and housing policies. In his work he has, among other things studied, how housing wealth and housing policies affect consumption, the effect of mandatory pension savings on total savings and consumption, and labor supply adjustments to tax reforms and how frictions affect estimation of structural parameters.

You can find more information on my website.

CV

  • 2021-ongoing: Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University
  • 2020-2021: Wallander Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg
  • 2019: Researcher, Department of Economics, Uppsala University
  • 2014-2019: Ph.D. in Economics, Department of Economics, Uppsala University
  • 2017: Visiting Ph.D. student, Department of Economics, University of Chicago
  • 2014: Research Assistant, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • 2013: M.Sc. in Economics, University College London
  • 2012: B.A. in Economics with Mathematics, University of Iceland

Research

1. Ongoing research

2. Working papers

Labor Supply Response to a Tax Holiday: The Take-Home from a Large and Salient Shock

Finalist at ITAX PhD Student Award 2018

Abstract: I study how individuals intertemporally adjust their labor supply during a year in which labor income was tax-free (a tax holiday). In a difference-in-difference setting, exploiting a progressive tax scheme, I estimate an intensive margin elasticity of 0.06. There is no evidence of an extensive margin response. It is possible that individuals face stronger frictions in adjusting their labor supply during the tax holiday than in the long run, Therefore, I exploit an additional tax reform, combined with the tax holiday, to show that the data is consistent with a tax holiday elasticity of 0.05 and a structural intertemporal elasticity of 0.4.

Neoclassical Theory versus Loss Aversion: Evidence from Tax Filing Data

(with Per Engström and Katarina Nordblom)

Abstract: A fundamental tenet of economics is that agents respond to incentives. When filing their tax returns, Swedish taxpayers get information about whether they can expect a tax refund or having taxes due and about whether they are below or above a salient tax kink. This information may affect behavior depending on taxpayer motives. The former would induce loss averse taxpayers to claim deductions to a higher degree if having taxes due than if expecting a refund, while the latter would make the rational taxpayer more likely to claim deductions when facing the higher marginal tax rate. Access to register data on the universe of Swedish taxpayers for eight years allows for a clear-cut analysis using an RKD framework. We find strong causal effects of taxes due on the probability of claiming deductions, while the responses to the standard monetary incentives are insignificant. We find similar results for both inexperienced (young) and experienced (old) taxpayers. Hence, for both types of taxpayers, loss aversion is much more decisive than neoclassical incentives.

Publications

Recent publications

All publications

Articles

Books

Reports

Arnaldur Stefansson

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