Econometric analysis of residential time-of-use electricity pricing experiments

This paper adapts the two-stage neo-classical model of consumer behavior to the analysis of time-of-use pricing of electricity. Emphasis is placed upon the relationship between partial elasticities, which can be accurately estimated from the first stage, and total elasticities, which can be estimated only by using less reliable information to estimate the second stage. Three functional forms are implemented with data from the Wisconsin Pricing Experiment. Results indicate that (1) the CES and generalized Leontief functional forms are preferred, (2) price elasticities vary substantially with price, and (3) peak and off-peak electricity are partial substitutes but total complements.     

A spatial view of intra-urban migration search behavior

The search behavior of intra-urban migrants was examined using spatial analysis techniques to determine if distinct patterns of distance, direction and sectoral bias are present in the search patterns of households seeking new residences. Map transformation and standard ellipse analysis indicated that little sectoral bias was present with regard to the CBD, but some directional and distance bias was evident. The similarity in the size of the search space and the nearness of the new residence to the center of the search space suggested that the migrants did follow a systematic search procedure while looking for a new home.     

THE DESIGN AND DIFFUSION OF IMPROVED COOKING STOVES

The poorer half of the world's people have long relied for theirenergy needs on woodfuels. Since the oil shocks of the 1970s,pressure on forest resources has increased and the costs oftraditional use of woodfuels have been growing—to thehouseholder, in cash or collection time, and to society in inefficientenergy use, deforestation, and local and global harm to healthand the environment. Modern, efficient stoves can alleviatesome of these problems; programs to design and disseminate themwould seem a worthwhile pursuit for development activity. But do such programs in fact warrant the investment? Why haveso many failed to catch on as expected? The authors find thatprograms have been most successful when targeted to specificareas where woodfuel prices or collection times are high. Fieldtesting, consumer surveys, and involvement of local artisansfrom the outset have been critical to the ultimate adoptionof the stoves. With these elements in place, external supportfrom governments and donors can be useful; lacking them, subsidiesmay succeed only in distributing stoves that ultimately molderaway unused. This article's review of what makes for successand failure is instructive for the design of stove programsin particular, and of development projects that propagate improvedmethods and technologies in general.      

Properties of a distribution-free two-stage two-sample median test

Abstract  In this paper we consider a class of distribution-free two-stage two-sample median tests. These procedures are based on a fixed size sample from one population, while the observations from the second population are collected in a truncated sequential fashion. Necessary tables are provided enabling us to select a particular member from the class such that arbitrarily preset power levels are approximately obtained. We also present asymptotic expressions and tables for the expected number of observations from the second population. Finally, comparisons between the asymptotic version of this two-stage median test and the binomial sequential probability ratio test due to W ald (1947) are discussed.