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Estimating the marginal willingness to pay function without instrumental variables

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  • Bishop, Kelly C.
  • Timmins, Christopher

Abstract

The hedonic model of Rosen (1974) has become a workhorse for valuing the characteristics of differentiated products despite a number of well-documented econometric problems, including a source of endogeneity that has proven difficult to overcome. Here we outline a simple, likelihood-based estimation approach for recovering the marginal willingness-to-pay function that avoids this endogeneity problem. Using this framework, we find that marginal willingness-to-pay to avoid violent crime increases by sixteen cents with each additional incident per 100,000 residents. Accounting for the slope of the marginal willingness-to-pay function has significant impacts on welfare analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Bishop, Kelly C. & Timmins, Christopher, 2019. "Estimating the marginal willingness to pay function without instrumental variables," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 66-83.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juecon:v:109:y:2019:i:c:p:66-83
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2018.11.006
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    2. Wellmann, Nicolas & Czarnowske, Daniel, 2021. "What would households pay for a reduction of automobile traffic? Evidence from nine German cities," DICE Discussion Papers 361, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    3. Shr, Yau-Huo & Zipp, Katherine, 2016. "Valuing complementarity between environmental goods and housing attributes with the benefit function: An application to flood hazards," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235961, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Berliant, M. & Gouveia, M., 1991. "On Political Economy of Income Taxation," RCER Working Papers 288, University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER).
    5. Berliant, Marcus & Gouveia, Miguel, 2022. "On the Political Economy of Nonlinear Income Taxation," MPRA Paper 113140, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Diana Romero‐Espinosa & Mauricio Sarrias & Ricardo Daziano, 2021. "Are preferences for city attributes heterogeneous? An assessment using a discrete choice experiment," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(1), pages 251-272, February.
    7. Zhang, Nan & Mendelsohn, Robert & Shaw, Daigee, 2023. "How to Identify and Estimate the Demand for Job Safety?," MPRA Paper 118594, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Wolf, David & Klaiber, H. Allen & Gopalakrishnan, Sathya, 2022. "Beyond marginal: Estimating the demand for water quality," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    9. H. Spencer Banzhaf, 2020. "Panel Data Hedonics: Rosen'S First Stage As A “Sufficient Statistic”," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 61(2), pages 973-1000, May.
    10. Ralph B. Siebert & Michael J. Seiler, 2022. "Why Do Buyers Pay Different Prices for Comparable Products? A Structural Approach on the Housing Market," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 65(2), pages 261-292, August.
    11. DiSalvo, Richard W. & Yu, Jia H., 2023. "Housing Affordability and School Quality in the United States," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    12. Christian Almer & Stefan Boes & Stephan Nüesch, 2017. "Adjustments in the housing market after an environmental shock: evidence from a large-scale change in aircraft noise exposure," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 69(4), pages 918-938.
    13. H. Spencer Banzhaf, 2021. "Difference-in-Differences Hedonics," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(8), pages 2385-2414.
    14. Kent F. Kovacs & Shelby Rider, 2022. "Estimating the Demand for In Situ Groundwater for Climate Resilience: The Case of the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer in Arkansas," NBER Chapters, in: American Agriculture, Water Resources, and Climate Change, pages 367-381, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime; Hedonic demand; Willingness to pay;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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