The Identification of Fixed Costs From Consumer Behavior
提出一种利用等价尺度方法从家庭消费行为中识别特征固定成本的模型，并用加拿大微观数据估计了等价支出函数和等价尺度，发现大家庭的固定成本大且为正，导致等价尺度随支出下降。
AbstractSome household expenditures, such as those for subsistence or basic needs, are fixed. Using the methodology of equivalence scales, we develop a model in which differences in fixed costs of characteristics across households can be identified from household behavior. Equivalent expenditure for a household is the expenditure needed to bring a reference household, such as a single childless adult, to the level of well-being of household members. The equivalence scale for the household is the ratio of expenditure to equivalent expenditure. Only two types of equivalent-expenditure functions are used in practice: those in which the ratio of household expenditure and equivalent expenditure is independent of expenditure, and those in which their difference is independent of expenditure. We propose a class of equivalent-expenditure functions that allows for differences in fixed costs and generalizes both relationships. Using Canadian consumer demand microdata, we estimate equivalent-expenditure functions and equivalence scales. We find that for large households, fixed costs of characteristics are large and positive, resulting in equivalence scales that decline with expenditures.KEY WORDS: Equivalent-expenditure functionsEquivalence scale