To make high-quality research more accessible and easier to explore.

Fields:
2 results ✕ Clear filters

Demand Estimation with Heterogeneous Consumers and Unobserved Product Characteristics: A Hedonic Approach

Journal of Political Economy 2005 113(6), 1239-1276
We reconsider the identification and estimation of Gorman‐Lancaster‐style hedonic models of demand for differentiated products in the spirit of Sherwin Rosen. We generalize Rosen’s first stage to account for product characteristics that are not observed and to allow the hedonic pricing function to have a general nonseparable form. We take an alternative semiparametric approach to Rosen’s second stage in which we assume that the parametric form of utility is known, but we place no restrictions on the aggregate distribution of utility parameters. If there are only a small number of products, we show how to construct bounds on individuals’ utility parameters, as well as other economic objects such as aggregate demand and consumer surplus. We apply our methods to estimating the demand for personal computers.

Are Structural Estimates of Auction Models Reasonable? Evidence from Experimental Data

Journal of Political Economy 2005 113(4), 703-741
Recently, economists have developed methods for structural estimation of auction models. Many researchers object to these methods because they find the strict rationality assumptions to be implausible. Using bid data from first‐price auction experiments, we estimate four alternative structural models: (1) risk‐neutral Bayes‐Nash, (2) risk‐averse Bayes‐Nash, (3) a model of learning, and (4) a quantal response model of bidding. For each model, we compare the estimated valuations and the valuations assigned to bidders in the experiments. We find that the risk aversion model is able to generate reasonable estimates of bidder valuations.