Consumption dynamics under information processing constraints

This paper studies how “rational inattention” (RI)—a type of information processing constraint proposed by Sims [Sims, C.A., 2003. Implications of rational inattention, Journal of Monetary Economics 50 (3), 665–690]—affects the joint dynamics of consumption and income in a permanent income model with general income processes. Specifically, I propose an analytical approach to solve the multivariate permanent income model with RI and examine its implications for optimal consumption, saving, and welfare. It is shown that RI can affect the relative volatility of consumption and provide an endogenous propagation mechanism that disentangles the short-run and long-run responses of consumption to exogenous income shocks. I also explore how aggregation reduces the impact of the RI-induced endogenous noise on consumption and thus increases the smoothness of aggregate consumption. Finally, I compare RI with four alternative hypotheses (habit formation, signal extraction, robustness, and inattentiveness) by examining their implications for the joint behavior of consumption and income.     

24/7 Hourly Response to Electricity Real-Time Pricing with up to Eight Summers of Experience

This paper provides hourly own and cross price elasticities for industrial customers with up to 8 years of experience on Duke Power optional real-time rates. We include the effects of customer characteristics and temperature conditions. Aggregated results show larger own elasticities than have previous studies, complementarity within the potential peak hours and substitution in the late evening. As customers gain experience with hourly pricing, they show larger load reductions during higher priced hours. As compared to a TOU rate, net benefits are $14,000 per customer per month, approximately 4% of the average customers bill, and much greater than metering costs.JEL classification: L51, L94, D00We wish to acknowledge helpful comments from Herb Thompson and Steve Braithwait. We also wish to thank Colin Loxley and other participants at the Rutgers Advanced Workshop in Regulation and Competition, Lake Tahoe, CA, June 2002, as well as participants at the Second World Congress of Environmental Economics in Monterey, CA, June 2002, for comments on a preliminary version of this paper. Finally, we thank two anonymous referees for helping to improve this paper.     

Demand for Environmental Quality: An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Behavior in Sweden

In this paper we estimate the income elasticity of demand for recreational services and other traditional groups of goods in Sweden and test for potential changes in such estimates over the twentieth century. Due to the difficulty of directly observing the demand for recreational services, we employ an indirect methodology by using the demand for some outdoor goods as a proxy for the demand for recreational services. In line with most prior research, our results confirm the expectation that recreational services, as a public good, is a luxury good in Sweden. Our results also show that the income elasticities for traditional goods are stable over time, indicating that consumer preferences for expenditure on these specific commodities do not change over time.      

A survey of the influencing factors and models for resident＇s household waste management behavior

The problem of household solid waste has been concerned and researched on by municipalities and researchers.At present, household solid waste has been changed to management problem from technical one. From the point view ofmanagement, the research on household solid waste is to study the factors which influence resident’s behavior ofmanaging their waste. Based on the literature review, firstly, this paper summarizes those factors which have alreadybeen identified to have impact on resident’s behavior of managing their waste. They are social-demographic variables,knowledge, environmental values, psychological factors, publicity and system design. Secondly, three typical models ofthe relationship between factors and behavior, which are factors determining task performance in waste management,conceptualization of waste management behavior and the theoretical model of repeated behavior on household wastemanagement, are analyzed and the deficiencies of these models are also analyzed. Finally, according to the currentsituation in household waste management and the culture and resident’s habits in China, this paper puts forward aresearch focus and suggestions about resident’s behavior of household solid waste management.     

Economic Incentives and Residential Waste Management in Taiwan: An Empirical Investigation

This paper presents an empirical study of how three waste management policies have affected residential waste generation and recycling behavior in Taiwan over the past decade. The three policies are unit-pricing of garbage in Taipei, a mandatory recycling program in Kaohsiung, and a nationwide policy of charging for plastic bags. We estimate policy effects on total waste, total recycling, and recycling of four specific materials, all measured by weight per capita. Unlike prior work, we find that unit-pricing and mandatory recycling policies lead to significant increases in recycling of most materials, as well as increased levels of total recycling and garbage reduction. The “plastic bag” policy is generally found to lower material-specific and total recycling rates, as well as total garbage volumes.     

Cost savings in unit-based pricing of household waste: The case of The Netherlands

We estimate the effects of four unit-based pricing systems on waste collected in Dutch municipalities. Unit-based pricing is shown to be effective in reducing unsorted and compostable waste and in stimulating recyclable waste. If the estimations are corrected for differences in environmental activism between municipalities the effects are still large but significantly lower. The bag- and weight-based systems perform equally and far better compared with the frequency- and volume-based systems. This is interesting, as administrative costs are significantly lower for the bag-based system. Finally, unit-based pricing has no effect on the amounts of waste collected in surrounding municipalities.     

Exploring Benefit Transfer: Disamenities of Waste Transfer Stations

The benefit transfer method was developed as an alternative way to value externalities using values from studies of similar circumstances, carried out at similar sites somewhere else, given the challenges and high costs inherent in assessing the actual cost. Specifically, in order to test the performance of the benefit transfer method, employing hedonic price models, this study focused on estimates of disamenities associated with waste transfer stations at four different cities in Israel. The sites were intentionally selected to represent a variety of circumstances. We transferred the estimated benefit function from a “study site” to a “policy site”. The goodness of fit was examined by comparing the calculated value, with actual data from the policy site. To test the sensitivity of the benefit transfer function to socioeconomic and housing characteristics, it was repeatedly applied to different sets of observations. The findings suggest that a relatively large number of alternative benefit functions are transferable. Statistical inequality outcome regarding the degree of similarity between samples does not unequivocally rule out the appropriateness of transferring environmental values across studies. Transfer errors varied between −21% and +29%, and the absolute average error for all transfers was 15.4%. Errors were lower for transfer between relatively similar cities in terms of size and location and between sub-samples that were similar in socioeconomic characteristics and housing type. However, when a site with very dissimilar data was involved, the average absolute error rose to 19%.     

考虑市值权重的IPO长期业绩研究

IPO长期业绩的早期研究以算术平均的累计调整收益率为指标，发现我国新股存在着长期超额报酬。而本文采用更能反映IPO市场构成的流通市值加权法计算新股上市后三年的累计调整收益率，发现就整体来看，新股存在着长期业绩不佳的特征，进一步的研究揭示结果差异的原因所在。     

Gender Equality and Long-Run Growth

This research suggests that long-run economic and demographic development in Europe can be better understood when related to long-term trends in gender equality, dating back to the spread of Christianity. We set up a growth model where gaps in female-to-male human capital arise at equilibrium through a coordination process. An economy which over a long stretch of time re-coordinates on continuously more equal equilibria—as one could argue happened in Europe—exhibits growth patterns qualitatively similar to that of Europe.     

当代发展经济学的家庭经济研究

家庭经济研究是发展经济学的一个方兴未艾的领域,对发展经济学理论与发展中国家现实的联系作出了特殊的贡献。本文从家庭收入与营养健康的关系;公正、平等与营养健康的关系;家庭生产、消费行为的决策;家庭生育行为决策等方面分析发展经济学对家庭经济的研究。     

When inefficiency begets efficiency

Summary. Collective consumption decisions taken by the members of a household may prove inefficient. The impact on market performance depends on whether household inefficiencies are caused by inefficient net trades with the market or by inefficient distribution of resources within households. Inefficient internal distribution always results in inefficient equilibrium allocations. This leads us to consider competitive forces as disciplinary device for households. Competition of households for both resources and members can eliminate or reduce inefficient internal distribution.Received: 5 February 2003, Revised: 12 January 2004, JEL Classification Numbers: D10, D51, D62.This paper is an abbreviated and revised version of Gersbach and Haller (2003). It addresses issues raised during seminar presentations at the University of Texas, Austin, and the Center for Economic Studies (CES), Munich. The hospitality and financial support of CES, the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), Vienna, and the Institute of Economics, University of Copenhagen, is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Clive Bell for helpful comments and two referees for thoughtful suggestions.     

Demand for telephone lines and universal service in Spain

In this paper we analyse the effects of some proposed tariff scenarios on universal service in Spain. For that, we use a model of demand for telephone lines to derive an econometric model of the net demand for new access lines, for the period 1980–1993, using quarterly observations. We use cointegration techniques to obtain long and short run equations. We conclude that a tariff restructuring that lowers the installation charge and domestic traffic rates while moderately raising recurring charges might have a small effect on the net demand for new lines. This suggests that the objective of universal service may be compatible with some of the tariff structures that have been recently considered in Spain.     

并购的长期财富效应--经验分析结果与协同效应解释

文章分析了并购对目标公司的长期财富效应,认为目标公司在并购后5年获得了巨大的超额收益.并购溢价可以解释目标公司的长期财富效应,并购溢价越高,并购产生的协同效应越大,目标公司的长期财富效应也越大.另外,并购后目标公司在组织形式和产权性质上的变化也会提高公司治理效率,从而增加目标公司的长期财富效应.     

中国城镇居民家庭资产—负债现状与成因研究

利用2009年"中国城镇居民经济状况与心态调查"数据,本文细致考察了中国城镇居民家庭资产—负债的现状与成因。描述性统计表明,家庭资产随着户主年龄、教育程度和家庭收入水平提高而上升,家庭负债则恰恰相反,家庭资产—负债存在明显的地域差异。实证研究发现,户主的年龄、受教育程度和健康状况以及家庭收入和人口规模不仅是家庭是否拥有资产/负债最重要的决定因素,也是家庭资产负债额的重要影响因素;进一步研究表明,家庭净资产也主要受到这些因素的影响,但其影响程度因家庭净资产量不同而不同。本文进而研究了家庭资产—负债状况的稳定性,发现户主年龄较小、教育水平较低和健康状况较差以及人口规模较大的家庭更容易受到金融市场不利冲击的影响。