IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/68415.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Will Low-Income Populations Love Spicy Foods More? Accounting for Tastes

Author

Listed:
  • Ma, Chao
  • Song, Ze
  • Sun, Xuhui
  • Zhao, Guangchuan

Abstract

Based on the Theory of Rational Addiction (TORA), this paper identifies the correlation between income and the preference for spicy foods by analysing the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data. The results show that compare with high-income residents of same area, the low-income residents prefer to spicy foods in China. The regression results of IV and Lewbel IV all support it. According to the result, the channel of health behaviours and health awareness are possible causal channels for the negative correlation between income and the preference for spicy foods, rather than health capital stock and food selection.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Chao & Song, Ze & Sun, Xuhui & Zhao, Guangchuan, 2015. "Will Low-Income Populations Love Spicy Foods More? Accounting for Tastes," MPRA Paper 68415, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:68415
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/68415/1/MPRA_paper_68415.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pitt, Mark M, 1983. "Food Preferences and Nutrition in Rural Bangladesh," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 65(1), pages 105-114, February.
    2. Ettner, Susan L., 1996. "New evidence on the relationship between income and health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 67-85, February.
    3. Benedicte Apouey & Andrew E. Clark, 2015. "Winning Big but Feeling no Better? The Effect of Lottery Prizes on Physical and Mental Health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(5), pages 516-538, May.
    4. Silvia Balia & Andrew M. Jones, 2011. "Catching the habit: a study of inequality of opportunity in smoking‐related mortality," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 174(1), pages 175-194, January.
    5. Daron Acemoglu, 1998. "Why Do New Technologies Complement Skills? Directed Technical Change and Wage Inequality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 113(4), pages 1055-1089.
    6. Daron Acemoglu, 2002. "Directed Technical Change," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 69(4), pages 781-809.
    7. Chaloupka, Frank, 1991. "Rational Addictive Behavior and Cigarette Smoking," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(4), pages 722-742, August.
    8. Suranovic, Steven M. & Goldfarb, Robert S. & Leonard, Thomas C., 1999. "An economic theory of cigarette addiction," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-29, January.
    9. Mark Aguiar & Erik Hurst, 2005. "Consumption versus Expenditure," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(5), pages 919-948, October.
    10. Benedicte Apouey & Andrew E. Clark, 2015. "Winning Big but Feeling no Better? The Effect of Lottery Prizes on Physical and Mental Health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(5), pages 516-538, May.
    11. Cutler, David M. & Lleras-Muney, Adriana, 2010. "Understanding differences in health behaviors by education," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 1-28, January.
    12. Frijters, Paul & Haisken-DeNew, John P. & Shields, Michael A., 2005. "The causal effect of income on health: Evidence from German reunification," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 997-1017, September.
    13. John Adrian & Raymond Daniel, 1976. "Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Consumption of Selected Food Nutrients in the United States," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 58(1), pages 31-38.
    14. repec:taf:jnlbes:v:30:y:2012:i:1:p:67-80 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Benedicte Apouey & Andrew E. Clark, 2015. "Winning Big but Feeling no Better? The Effect of Lottery Prizes on Physical and Mental Health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(5), pages 516-538, May.
    16. Kenkel, Donald S, 1991. "Health Behavior, Health Knowledge, and Schooling," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(2), pages 287-305, April.
    17. Douglas Staiger & James H. Stock, 1997. "Instrumental Variables Regression with Weak Instruments," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 65(3), pages 557-586, May.
    18. Yu-Xiao Zhu & Junming Huang & Zi-Ke Zhang & Qian-Ming Zhang & Tao Zhou & Yong-Yeol Ahn, 2013. "Geography and Similarity of Regional Cuisines in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-8, November.
    19. Christopher F Baum & Arthur Lewbel & Mark E Schaffer & Oleksander Talavera, 2012. "Instrumental variables estimation using heteroskedasticity-based instruments," United Kingdom Stata Users' Group Meetings 2012 07, Stata Users Group.
    20. Pedro Rosa Dias, 2010. "Modelling opportunity in health under partial observability of circumstances," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(3), pages 252-264, March.
    21. Pascaline Dupas, 2011. "Health Behavior in Developing Countries," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 3(1), pages 425-449, September.
    22. Becker, Gary S & Murphy, Kevin M, 1988. "A Theory of Rational Addiction," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(4), pages 675-700, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Costa-Font, Joan & Gyori, Mario, 2020. "Can Unearned Income Make Us Fitter? Evidence from Lottery Wins," IZA Discussion Papers 13903, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. van Kippersluis, Hans & Galama, Titus J., 2014. "Wealth and health behavior: Testing the concept of a health cost," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 197-220.
    3. Oscar Erixson, 2017. "Health responses to a wealth shock: evidence from a Swedish tax reform," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(4), pages 1281-1336, October.
    4. Hans van Kippersluis & Titus J. Galama, 2013. "Why the Rich drink more but smoke less: The Impact of Wealth on Health Behaviors," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 13-035/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    5. Au, N. & Johnston, D. W., 2013. "An econometric analysis of self-assessed health: what does it mean and what is it hiding?," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 13/31, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    6. Owen O'Donnell & Eddy Van Doorslaer & Tom Van Ourti, 2013. "Health and Inequality," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 13-170/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    7. Peng Nie & Qing Li & Alan A. Cohen & Alfonso Sousa-Poza, 2021. "In search of China’s income-health gradient: a biomarker-based analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(48), pages 5599-5618, October.
    8. Elena Reche & Hans-Helmut König & André Hajek, 2021. "The Relationship between Income and Morbidity—Longitudinal Findings from the German Ageing Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    9. Broughel, James & Viscusi, Kip, "undated". "Death by Regulation: How Regulations Can Increase Mortality Risk," Working Papers 06864, George Mason University, Mercatus Center.
    10. Jared C. Carbone & Snorre Kverndokk, 2017. "Individual Investments in Education and Health: Policy Responses and Interactions," Advances in Health Economics and Health Services Research, in: Kristian Bolin & Björn Lindgren & Michael Grossman & Dorte Gyrd-Hansen & Tor Iversen & Robert Kaestn (ed.), Human Capital and Health Behavior, volume 25, pages 33-83, Emerald Publishing Ltd.
    11. Beomsoo Kim & Christopher J. Ruhm, 2012. "Inheritances, health and death," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(2), pages 127-144, February.
    12. Elena Reche & Hans-Helmut König & André Hajek, 2019. "Income, Self-Rated Health, and Morbidity. A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-16, August.
    13. Carbone, Jared C. & Kverndokk, Snorre, 2014. "Individual investments in education and health," HERO Online Working Paper Series 2014:1, University of Oslo, Health Economics Research Programme.
    14. Brady P. Horn & Johanna Catherine Maclean & Michael R. Strain, 2017. "Do Minimum Wage Increases Influence Worker Health?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(4), pages 1986-2007, October.
    15. Rui Zhang & Chenglei Zhang & Jiahui Xia & Dawei Feng & Shaoyong Wu, 2022. "Household Wealth and Individuals’ Mental Health: Evidence from the 2012–2018 China Family Panel Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-18, September.
    16. John Gathergood & Eleonora Fichera, 2012. "House Prices, Home Equity and Health," Discussion Papers 12/07, University of Nottingham, School of Economics.
    17. Fang Wang & Haitao Zheng, 2021. "Do Public Pensions Improve Mental Wellbeing? Evidence from the New Rural Society Pension Insurance Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-14, March.
    18. Chen, Xi & Wang, Tianyu & Busch, Susan H., 2019. "Does money relieve depression? Evidence from social pension expansions in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 411-420.
    19. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Douglas A. Webber & Michael T. French & Susan L. Ettner, 2015. "The Health Consequences of Adverse Labor Market Events: Evidence from Panel Data," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 478-498, July.
    20. Maite Blázquez Cuesta & Santiago Budría, 2013. "Does income deprivation affect people’s mental well-being?," Working Papers 1312, Banco de España.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Spicy taste; Income; Rational addiction;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:68415. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: . General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.