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Are Durable Goods Consumers Forward-Looking? Evidence from College Textbooks

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  • Judith Chevalier
  • Austan Goolsbee

Abstract

We test whether textbook consumers are forward-looking, using a large new data set on textbooks sold in college bookstores during the ten semesters from 1997 to 2001. The data strongly support the hypothesis that students are forward-looking with low short-run discount rates and that they behave as if they have rational expectations of publishers' revision behavior. Data from a second new data set on the market prices of used books at Amazon Marketplace also support the hypothesis of rational, forward-looking behavior. Simulation results indicate that students are sufficiently forward-looking that publishers cannot consistently raise revenue by accelerating current revision cycles.

Suggested Citation

  • Judith Chevalier & Austan Goolsbee, 2009. "Are Durable Goods Consumers Forward-Looking? Evidence from College Textbooks," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(4), pages 1853-1884.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:qjecon:v:124:y:2009:i:4:p:1853-1884.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1162/qjec.2009.124.4.1853
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • L6 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics

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