Flexible but parsimonious demand designs: The case of gasoline

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Coppejans, M
• 署名单位: Duke University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/003465303322369812
• 发表日期: 2003-08
• 页码: 680-692
• 关键词: regression; specification

摘要

We consider expectations of the form E[log y\x] = Sigma(j=1)(d) alpha(j) log x(j) as a good starting point for a more general analysis. We show why this naturally leads to the following flexible functional form: E[y\x] = f(Sigma(j=1)(d) h(j)(x(j))), where (f.) and the h(j)(.)'s are estimated by cubic splines. The main objective of this paper is to provide a straightforward method to estimate E[y\x]. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by estimating gasoline demand from the 1994 RTECS data set, and in doing so, uncover interesting relationships of income and age to expected gasoline use.