Using FRED data to teach price elasticity of demand

In this article, the authors discuss the use of Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) statistics to teach the concept of price elasticity of demand in an introduction to economics course. By using real data in its computation, they argue that instructors can create a value-adding context for illustrating and applying a foundational concept in economics. Additionally, this pedagogical strategy contributes to developing an expected proficiency for economics majors related to “interpreting and manipulating data” (Hansen 2009, 2012). The authors provide step-by-step instructions on how to use FRED to compute the price elasticity of demand for motor vehicle fuels and gasoline as well as examples of in-class discussion questions and take-home assignments related to this instructional technique.     

中国"超额货币"成因的进一步检验

中国的超额货币一直是理论界颇有争议的话题,因而关于超额货币成因的理论假说有很多种。基于对以往的理论假说进行总结与质疑的基础上,利用货币需求的收入弹性与价格弹性对交易方程式进行调整,并利用中国1991-2003年的数据对调整后的模型进行检验,结果发现:货币需求的收入弹性与价格弹性的变化是导致中国超额货币存在的主要原因。     

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。     

Optimal taxation and cross-price effects on labor supply: Estimates of the optimal gas tax

This study estimates parameters necessary to calculate the optimal second-best gasoline tax, most notably the cross-price elasticity between gasoline and leisure. Prior theoretical work indicates the importance of this elasticity, but despite this, almost none of the prior studies of commodity taxation (and none of the studies on second-best environmental regulation) actually estimate it. Using household data, we find that gasoline is a relative complement to leisure, and thus that the optimal gasoline tax is significantly higher than marginal damages-the opposite of the result suggested by the bulk of the prior literature. Indeed, even if there were no externalities at all associated with gasoline, the optimal tax rate would still be almost equal to the average gas tax rate in the U.S. Following this approach to estimate cross-price elasticities with leisure could strongly influence estimates of optimal rates for other important commodity or pollution taxes.     

Structural shocks and dynamic elasticities in a long memory model of the US gasoline retail market

A structural multivariate long memory model of the US gasoline market is employed to disentangle structural shocks and to estimate the own-price elasticity of gasoline demand. Our main empirical findings are: (1) there is strong evidence of nonstationarity and mean reversion in the real price of gasoline and in gasoline consumption; (2) accounting for the degree of persistence present in the data is essential to assess the responses of these two variables to structural shocks; (3) the contributions of the different supply and demand shocks to fluctuations in the gasoline market vary across frequency ranges; and (4) long memory makes available an interesting range of convergent possibilities for gasoline demand elasticities. Our estimates suggest that after a change in prices, consumers undertake a few measures to reduce consumption in the short- and medium-run but are reluctant to implement major changes in their consumption habits.     

Third-degree price discrimination in a short-stay accommodation industry

This article analyses the pricing in the short-stay accommodation industry in Tasmania. It utilizes a novel 2008 survey of Tasmanian short-stay accommodation firms in which business managers were asked about their perception of the elasticity of their firm’s demand in each of the market segments that their firm supplied. This direct observation of elasticity allows us to demonstrate that firms’ price across market segments act in a manner consistent with the Lerner index and the theory of third-degree price discrimination. Further we show, in line with expectations based on the literature, that increased quality of the accommodation lowers the elasticity of demand, while the elasticity of demand is higher in winter. Surprisingly, Internet sales channels do not exhibit a different elasticity of demand to other sales channels.     

Are price strategies effective in managing demand of high residential water users?

Encouraging water use efficiency and water conservation is one of the primary goals of water utility companies nationwide. This study estimates price elasticity of residential water demand to measure the responsiveness of water use to price changes, particularly for high water users. Household-level water use data for high residential water users from Central Florida were analysed using 3-stage least square (3SLS). Estimated price elasticity ranges between ?0.07 and ?0.14. This price elasticity estimate is below most of the estimates reported in the literature (in absolute value). The results imply that for price strategies to be effective in managing water demand of high residential water users, a significant price increase would be needed. Overall, this study highlights the importance of designing water conservation policies tailored to specific groups of customers, and the importance of using these strategies effectively and fairly for different customer groups.     

论住房的刚性需求

住房刚性需求是需求收入弹性较大而价格弹性较小的具有一定购买力的消费性需求。在刚性需求内部具有不同级别的"刚性",刚性渐减的顺序是货币化的拆迁性需求、婚房需求、改善型需求。对于不同性质的城市,其住房刚性需求是不同的,政治性城市住房刚性需求比较大,开放性城市刚性需求变化较大;在现阶段,由于房价财富幻觉导致了刚性需求加速效应和叠加效应。制度变迁、房价和收入都是影响住房刚性需求的重要因素。     

A forward-looking analysis of residential telephone access demand in Korea

This paper analyzes the price elasticity for residential access demand in Korea using survey data of 1998. We apply an asymmetric GEV model to this data and derive a formula for forward-looking price elasticities of the penetration rate. We categorize the respondents into two groups, single-line households and multi-line households, and estimate the price elasticities for each group. Estimation outcome shows that single-line households are less sensitive to price changes than multi-line households with respect to installation charge and rental charge. In view of the relatively low price elasticities of single-line households, an increase in rental charge is not expected to result in large-scale drop-offs of primary lines.     

中国大中城市房地产需求弹性地区差异的实证分析

房地产需求价格弹性和收入弹性是反映房地产市场需求特征的两个主要指标.国外在这方面的研究比较充分,而我国学术界对房地产需求弹性的测算和解释仍缺乏系统研究.本文通过对我国35个大中城市房地产需求弹性的实证研究,结果发现我国房地产需求弹性的特征是:(1)房地产需求价格弹性总体上缺乏弹性,而收入弹性是富有弹性.(2)房地产需求弹性具有显著的地区差异性.因此,我国的房地产业政策,必须根据房地产市场的地区差异性而进行调整,在增加房地产有效供给而满足人们房地产消费需求的同时,打击房地产投机需求,适当抑制房地产投资需求.     

企业降价与总收益关系的新认识

随着环境的变化,企业有时候要调低产品价格。本文针对一些企业错误地应用关于降价与总收益关系的传统结论的现象,结合数学和经济学,提出了很多命题,对降价与总收益之间的关系揭示得很清楚,对于传统的需求价格弹性理论关于降价与总收益之间关系的不完全准确认识的一种修正,也是对需求价格弹性理论应用的拓展;且本文分别用图形形象地表示出降价与总收益之间的关系,结合企业在调低价格后给予一定的指导——企业降价后还要进行跟踪调查、还要根据效果采取相应措施、要关注客户需求量的变化、降价不是拍脑袋的事情,这具有一定的现实意义。     

Marginal Tax Rates and Tax‐Favoured Pension Savings of the Self‐Employed: Evidence from Sweden*

In recent years, the study of how individuals respond to policies that aim at promoting pension savings has emerged as a vital area of economic research. This paper adds to this body of literature by estimating the tax price elasticity of contributions to tax‐favoured pension‐savings accounts on a population of self‐employed individuals. I exploit a unique total database over the Swedish population that covers the years 1999–2005. Using instrumental variables, I obtain a tax price elasticity estimate of ?0.51 and an income elasticity estimate of 0.13, whereas ordinary least‐squares (OLS) produces estimates that conflict with consumer theory.     

中国电力行业减排政策——基于电力需求函数的实证分析

利用2003—2015年中国的省际面板数据,通过估计电力需求函数模拟碳税的政策效果,为电力行业减排政策的制定提供了参考。结果表明:随着中国经济进入新常态,电价对电力需求的影响减弱,产业结构特别是工业内部结构的调整对电力需求和电力消费结构产生一定影响;由于电力需求对电价变动不敏感,因此碳税的减排效果有限;为实现减排目标,政府需要征收高额碳税,但这在现有的电价水平下较难实施;从减排效果和实施难度两个方面来看,当前暂不开征碳税的减排政策具有一定合理性;与碳税相比,加快供给侧结构性改革、降低火力发电比重,能够更有效地实现减排目标;现阶段政府应将调整电源结构作为节能减排工作的重点。     

Excise taxes,over-shifting,cross-elasticity,and tax revenue

This article examines cross-elasticity effects in excise taxation for markets characterized by monopolistic competition and over-shifting. Extending the constant elasticity demand model to consider cross-elasticity leads to notably different results regarding tax revenue maximization. With nonzero but weak cross-elasticity effects relative to the price elasticity, we derive a higher optimal tax-price ratio compared to prior research. With strong cross-elasticity, revenue can continually be increased by raising the excise tax. Overall, the study offers government greater incentive to use excise taxes to obtain revenue.     

Panel cointegration estimates of the user cost elasticity

The effect of user cost on the capital stock is an issue of central importance in economics, with implications for tax policy, economic development, growth, monetary policy, business cycle models, and other areas. Estimating the user cost elasticity raises serious simultaneity problems because of the large fluctuations in investment demand at business cycle frequencies. If shifts in the supply curve (due to technological change and tax reforms) are more persistent than shifts in demand, cointegration techniques, which emphasize long-run movements, can reduce the simultaneity problem. If shocks to capital demand are partially idiosyncratic, the use of firm-level panel data should also reduce the simultaneity problem. In this paper, we therefore use cointegration techniques to estimate the user cost elasticity on panel data. Specifically, we employ a newly constructed data set with a long time series of firm-level data on the capital stock and with detailed industry-specific data on the interest rate, the price of investment goods, risk, and taxes.     

The rate elasticity of Florida tourist development (aka bed) taxes

One aspect of taxation in Florida is unique in that state policymakers have created several different tourist development taxes, generally allowing local governments to adopt up to four of these ad valorem levies (which can total 5%) on transient rentals. The rentals include, but are not limited to, hotel stays. In this article, we estimate the elasticity of this local tax base with respect to the rate for Florida counties with rate changes between 1998 and 2012. Results indicate several significant and large short-term declines from periodic county-level increases in the tax rate, but no significant long-term effects.     

Estimation of the effects of price on apartment water demand using cointegration and error correction techniques

Water price is a key instrument in regulating water demand in the residential sector. Many empirical studies have assessed the effects of price through quantifying the price elasticity of water demand. However, most of these studies have mainly focused on the single-family housing rather the multifamily housing. An in-depth understanding of the price elasticity of multifamily housing water demand is paramount for water planners in order to properly manage water use in the fast growing intensive housing developments in urban areas. This study investigates both the long-term and short-term price elasticities of water demand in the residential apartments in Auckland central city. Using 6 years of monthly time series data, the price elasticities were estimated through cointegration and error correction methods. The results showed that the price elasticities of water demand were ?0.14 and ?0.12 in the short term and the long term, respectively. The price is inelastic yet negative and statistically significant, thus it can play a role in demand management.     

Tax incentives and the decision to purchase long-term care insurance

This paper studies the impact of the tax incentive prescribed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) on individuals' long-term care insurance purchasing behavior. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we find that the tax incentive in HIPAA increased the take-up rate of private LTC insurance by 3.3 percentage points, or 25%, for those eligible. Despite this seemingly strong response, our results imply that even an above-the-line tax deduction would not increase the coverage rate of seniors beyond 13%, indicating that tax incentives alone are unlikely to expand the market substantially. We also present, to our knowledge, the first estimate of the price elasticity of demand for LTC insurance of around ? 3.9, suggesting that demand is highly elastic at the current low ownership rate. Finally, we evaluate the net fiscal impact of the tax incentive and find that the tax deductibility of LTC insurance premiums leads to a net revenue loss for the government, as the reduced tax revenue from granting the tax incentive exceeds the savings in Medicaid's LTC expenditures.