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Revealed preference analysis of characteristics models

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Author Info
Laura Blow (Institute for Fiscal Studies)
Martin Browning (CAM, University of Copenhagen)
Ian Crawford (University of Surrey and cemmap, Institute for Fiscal Studies)

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Abstract

Characteristics models have been found to be useful in many areas of economics. However, their empirical implementation tends to rely heavily on functional form assumptions. In this paper we develop a revealed preference approach to characteristics models. We derive the necessary and sufficient empirical conditions under which data on the market behaviour of heterogeneous, price-taking consumers are nonparametrically consistent with the consumer characteristics model. Where these conditions hold, we show how information may be recovered on individual consumer’s marginal valuations of product attributes. In some cases marginal valuations are point identified and in other cases we can only recover bounds. Where the conditions fail we highlight the role which the introduction of unobserved product attributes can play in rationalising the data. We implement these ideas using consumer panel data on the Danish milk market.

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File URL: http://www.econ.surrey.ac.uk/discussion_papers/2005/DP03-05.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Department of Economics, University of Surrey in its series Department of Economics Discussion Papers with number 0305.

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Length: 23 pages
Date of creation: Apr 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:sur:surrec:0305

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Related research
Keywords: Product characteristics; revealed preference;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Varian, Hal R., 1988. "Revealed preference with a subset of goods," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 179-185, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Varian, Hal R, 1982. "The Nonparametric Approach to Demand Analysis," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(4), pages 945-73, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Muellbauer, John, 1974. "Household Production Theory, Quality, and the "Hedonic Technique."," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(6), pages 977-94, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Diewert, W. E. & Parkan, C., 1985. "Tests for the consistency of consumer data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1-2), pages 127-147. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. C. Lanier Benkard & Patrick Bajari, 2004. "Demand Estimation with Heterogeneous Consumers and Unobserved Product Characteristics: A Hedonic Approach," NBER Working Papers 10278, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Richard W. Blundell & Martin Browning & Ian A. Crawford, 2003. "Nonparametric Engel Curves and Revealed Preference," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(1), pages 205-240, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Varian, Hal R, 1983. "Non-Parametric Tests of Consumer Behaviour," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(1), pages 99-110, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Varian, Hal R, 1984. "The Nonparametric Approach to Production Analysis," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 579-97, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Heckman, James & Scheinkman, Jose, 1987. "The Importance of Bundling in a Gorman-Lancaster Model of Earnings," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(2), pages 243-55, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Hanoch, Giora & Rothschild, Michael, 1972. "Testing the Assumptions of Production Theory: A Nonparametric Approach," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(2), pages 256-75, March-Apr. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Richard Blundell & Jean-Marc Robin, 2000. "Latent Separability: Grouping Goods without Weak Separability," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 68(1), pages 53-84, January.
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  12. Browning, M J, 1983. "Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Conditional Cost Functions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 51(3), pages 851-56, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Pudney, Steven E, 1981. "Instrumental Variable Estimation of a Characteristics Model of Demand," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(3), pages 417-33, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Rosen, Sherwin, 1974. "Hedonic Prices and Implicit Markets: Product Differentiation in Pure Competition," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 34-55, Jan.-Feb.. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Diewert, Erwin, 2007. "Index Numbers," UBC Departmental Archives diewert-07-01-03-08-17-23, UBC Department of Economics, revised 31 Jan 2007. [Downloadable!]
  16. Ian Crawford, 2004. "Necessary and sufficient conditions for latent separability," IFS Working Papers W04/17, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Diewert, W E, 1973. "Afriat and Revealed Preference Theory," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 40(3), pages 419-25, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Berry, Steven & Levinsohn, James & Pakes, Ariel, 1995. "Automobile Prices in Market Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(4), pages 841-90, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Bajari, Patrick & Benkard, C. Lanier, 2004. "Demand Estimation With Heterogeneous Consumers and Unobserved Product Characteristics: A Hedonic Approach," Research Papers 1842, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business. [Downloadable!]
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Fabrice Talla Nobibon & Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Jereon Sabbe & Frederic Vermeulen, 2008. "Heuristics for Deciding Collectively Rational Consumption Behavior," ECARES Working Papers 2008_028, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Ecares. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Griffith, Rachel & Nesheim, Lars, 2008. "Household Willingness to Pay for Organic Products," CEPR Discussion Papers 6905, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Jeroen Sabbe & Frederic Vermeulen, 2008. "Nonparametric Tests of Collectively Rational Consumption Behavior: an Integer Programming Procedure," ECARES Working Papers 2008_001, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Ecares. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Arianna Degan & Antonio Merlo, 2007. "Do Voters Vote Ideologically?, Third Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 08-034, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 01 Aug 2008. [Downloadable!]
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