The social cost of living index

Household cost of living indexes reflect household preferences; analogous indexes for groups of households require a corresponding concept of group preferences. In this paper I investigate the ‘social cost of living index’, a group index based on the Bergson-Samuelson social welfare function. I first define the index and examine its properties under the assumption that the investigator constructing it expresses his distributional judgments in an explicit Bergson- Samuelson social welfare function; I then examine the ‘maximizing society’ and the ‘independent society’, two cases in which the index can be constructed from the information contained in the market demand functions. In these two cases a Laspeyres index (i.e. the fixed weight index based on the reference consumption pattern) is an upper bound on the exact social cost of living index. In general, however, the assumptions required to place bounds on the social cost of living index are much more likely to be satisfied than those required to place analogous bounds on a household's cost of living index.     

Discontinuities in genetic engineering for pharmaceuticals? firms jumps and lock-in in systems of Innovation

This pape criticizes the concept of 'technological discontinuities'. It argues that the concept is misleading when the skills and knowledge of an indusry are composed of multiple rather than single core technologies. In cases such as the use of genetic engineering as the basis of production in pharmaceuticals, both existing pharmaceutical firms and new biotech firms integrate the new techniques into existing indusrial practice. The radical tecnology both enhances and destroys existing knowledge; the key to survival has been integration. Both existing and new firms have had the possibility of integrating multiple core technologies, but firms have been able to do so in different ways. Some existing firms could jump over to the radically new 'technological trajectory', by combining their creation of new competencies through in-house R&D with their access to novelty through relations with external agents in systems of innovation.     

A cost of living index incorporating a network effect

This paper constructs a cost of living index (COLI) that incorporates a network effect. While in this instance the application is to the telecommunications sector, the COLI are applicable more generally to network industries. The COLI permit valid welfare comparisons to be made by individual, region and country. Illustrative COLI estimates are provided for selected OECD member country telecommunications market data.     

Financial systems and the cost channel transmission of monetary policy shocks

We study the role of financial systems for the cost channel transmission of monetary policy in a calibrated business cycle model. We characterize financial systems by the share of bank-dependent firms and by the degree of the pass-through from policy to bank lending rates, for which we provide empirical estimates for the euro area and the US. For plausible calibrations of the dynamics of the lending rate we find that the cost effects directly related to interest rate movements have only a limited effect on the transmission mechanism.     

Did the cost of living in Canada increase faster for the rich during the period 1950–1980?

The paper computes the approximate true cost of living indexes from the time series data on price and quantity of nine broadly defined goods and services to show that the cost of living increased faster for the rich in Canada during the three decades. This is due mainly to an increase in the prices of “luxury” goods and services relative to “necessity” goods and services. These conclusions are almost identical to those of several other studies which utilize a different framework and a different time period for analysis.     

Using the cost function to generate Marshallian demand systems

Limited data means that prior structure is needed when working with large demand systems. The cost function is a convenient vehicle for generating demand systems incorporating such structure. While the cost function directly yields Hicksian demand functions they will not usually have an explicit representation as Marshallian demand equations i.e. in terms of the observable variables. With fast hardware and modern software, however, this need not hinder the estimation of the (implied) Marshallian demand equations. This paper develops the formal theory for using cost functions in this context, and reports on initial trials on the operational feasibility of the method. First version received: September 1997/final version accepted: July 1999     

Conformity and the Demand for Environmental Goods

The existing literature on eco-labeling and green consumerism has been framed within a classical market context where price and quality are the drivers of consumer choice. However, it seems possible that consumers are also concerned about the choices made by other consumers. In fact, it is unclear that people’s consumption decisions are made independently of social context. For instance, under the desire to conform to certain social norms—or in the presence of status concerns—some individuals may be willing to pay a higher price premium for green products the more widespread green consumerism is in society. We test this hypothesis using a choice experiment where the respondents were asked to choose among coffee products varying with respect to their share of ecological beans, share of fair trade beans, and price. Three treatments were used, differing only in the information given about the choices made by other consumers. We find different responses to the treatments across individuals and we can only confirm our hypothesis of conformity for women, although men appear to have stronger preferences for ecological coffee than women have.     

Using Engel curves to estimate bias in the Canadian CPI as a cost of living index

Abstract.  Semiparametric Engel curves are used to infer bias in the Canadian CPI as a Cost of Living Index. The budget share of food has long been used as an indicator of welfare. We compare households with the same levels of CPI deflated total expenditure over the period 1978–2000. Differences in the expenditure share of food are attributed to the CPI failing to capture changes in costs of living. We employ a novel econometric approach using a single index penalized linear spline model. Over the period, we find that the CPI overstated changes in the cost of living between 1.33 and 1.86% for the four household types considered. JEL classification: D1, C1     

需求价格弹性、销售收益和企业利润的关系研究：基于成本策略视角

将成本策略引入到需求价格弹性与利润的对应关系模型中,找到了企业在以保利润为目标时,临界需求价格弹性计算方法,开创性地分析出在降低变动成本策略下企业如何进行价格调整以及如何确定调整幅度,给出具有操作性的推论,对企业具有实际参考价值。     

论道德资本的供给与需求

道德资本是一种投入经济过程中、促进经济物品保值、增值的特殊生产要素。道德资本与其他生产要素一样 ,其供给与需求的价格和数量也是由自身价格、消费者收入水平与偏好、消费者预期、相关商品价格、生产成本、生产技术水平、生产者预期等因素决定     

Economic Incentives and the Demand for Higher Education

To what extent do economic incentives affect the demand for higher education? This question is addressed by means of a time-series analysis of the demand for university education in Sweden. The bulk of the variation in the fraction of qualified individuals enrolled at universities is attributed to fluctuations in the university wage premium. Furthermore, relative employment prospects for university graduates and variations in the generosity of the study allowance scheme appear to be of importance for the enrollment decision.     

Demand for money and expected inflation

The role of the expected rate of inflation in the demand for money has been highly controversial both at the theoretical and the empirical level. This note critically discusses these issues and puts forward a hypothesis accounting for the significance of expected inflation in money demand equations which is corroborated by an empirical investigation of the Italian experience, particularly suited for this specific experiment.     

Searching for the sunk cost fallacy

We seek to isolate in the laboratory factors that encourage and discourage the sunk cost fallacy. Subjects play a computer game in which they decide whether to keep digging for treasure on an island or to sink a cost (which will turn out to be either high or low) to move to another island. The research hypothesis is that subjects will stay longer on islands that were more costly to find. Eleven treatment variables are considered, e.g. alternative visual displays, whether the treasure value of an island is shown on arrival or discovered by trial and error, and alternative parameters for sunk costs. The data reveal a surprisingly small sunk cost effect that is generally insensitive to the proposed psychological drivers. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . Jel Classification C91, D11     

The Demand for Information Services and the Market Structure

Uninformed buyers' demand for statistical screening between privately informed sellers is studied in a fixed price market. A single buyer will screen more extensively than would two or more buyers, since in the latter case buyers realize that sellers will be attracted to buyers with the most favorable screening policy (i.e., not to screen at all). This result is robust to some but not all types of modifications in the model. For instance, information quality differences in the sense of Blackwell will reinforce this effect. Furthermore, in equilibrium only the best information service will be used. Received April 17, 2001; revised version received January 24, 2002 Published online: November 11, 2002     

Taxation of Labor Income and the Demand for Risky Assets

This article analyzes the effect of labor income risk on the joint saving/portfolio-composition problem. Given decreasing absolute prudence, we find that even when labor income risk increases overall saving, it tends to lower investment in a risky asset. Applying the theory to public finance, we argue that realistic increases in marginal tax rates on labor can cause large enough reductions in after-tax labor income risk to cause significant increases in risky investment.     

Parimutuel Lotteries: Gamblers' Behavior and the Demand for Tickets

In a parimutuel lottery, players face a strategic situation. We investigate how rational lottery players should choose combinations of numbers. Using data from the Austrian Lotto we compare this to actual behavior. We propose a relationship between the number of tickets and the expected loss of taking part, based on both theoretical and empirical findings about players' behavior. Rollovers introduce exogenous price variation allowing to estimate properties of a demand function sensitive to the expected loss. Contrary to previous work our model accounts for conscious selection.     

工程项目责任成本管理的研究

工程项目管理的好坏决定着施工企业的兴衰存亡.文章通过对施工企业工程项目责任成本管理的各个阶段认真分析,指出了项目责任成本管理需注意的几个关键环节,并提出了责任成本控制的基本思路和方法.     

工程项目责任成本管理的研究

工程项目管理的好坏决定着施工企业的兴衰存亡。文章通过对施工企业工程项目责任成本管理的各个阶段认真分析。指出了项目责任成本管理需注意的几个关键环节,并提出了责任成本控制的基本思路和方法。     

Effectiveness of step therapy policies for specialty pharmaceuticals in immune disorders

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of managed care plans that limited access to infusion biologics via a step therapy policy.