Do Prices and Attributes Explain International Differences in Food Purchases?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dubois, Pierre; Griffith, Rachel; Nevo, Aviv
• 署名单位: Universite de Toulouse; Universite Toulouse 1 Capitole; Toulouse School of Economics; University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; Northwestern University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.104.3.832
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 832-867
• 关键词: LOW-ENERGY-DENSITY; HIGHER DIET COSTS; obesity; QUALITY; demand; POLICY

摘要

Food purchases differ substantially across countries. We use detailed household-level data from the United States, France, and the United Kingdom to (i) document these differences; (ii) estimate a demand system for food and nutrients; and (iii) simulate counterfactual choices if households faced prices and nutritional characteristics from other countries. We find that differences in prices and characteristics are important and can explain some difference (e. g., United States-France difference in caloric intake) but generally cannot explain many of the compositional patterns by themselves. Instead, it seems an interaction between the economic environment and differences in preferences is needed to explain cross-country differences.