A Fast Literature Search Engine based on top-quality journals, by Dr. Mingze Gao.

  • Topic classification is ongoing.
  • Please kindly let me know [mingze.gao@mq.edu.au] in case of any errors.

Income-Induced Expenditure Switching

Resource type
Authors/contributors
Title
Income-Induced Expenditure Switching
Abstract
This paper shows that an income effect can drive expenditure switching between domestic and imported goods. We use a unique Latvian scanner-level dataset, covering the 2008-2009 crisis, to document several empirical findings. First, expenditure switching accounted for one-third of the fall in imports, and took place within narrowly defined product groups. Second, there was no corresponding within group change in relative prices. Third, consumers substituted from expensive imports to cheaper domestic alternatives. These findings motivate us to estimate a model of nonhomothetic consumer demand, which explains two-thirds of the observed expenditure switching. Estimated switching is driven by income, not changes in relative prices.
Publication
American Economic Review
Volume
106
Issue
12
Pages
3898-3931
Date
2016-12
Citation
Bems, R., & di Giovanni, J. (2016). Income-Induced Expenditure Switching. American Economic Review, 106, 3898–3931.
Link to this record