Does government growth reduce precautionary saving?

The paper extends the constant-relative-risk-aversion model by endogenizing the Arrow-Pratt coefficient of relative risk aversion. The empirical application treats this coefficient as a linear function of the rate of growth of real government expenditure per worker and estimates a Euler equation for consumption using Greek annual aggregate data for the period 1960-1993. The results support the view that government growth may cause a typical consumer to become less risk averse and save less.