TY - JOUR
T1 - How large are non-budget-constraint effects of prices on demand?
AU - Heffetz, Ori
AU - Shayo, Moses
PY - 2009/10
Y1 - 2009/10
N2 - Elementary consumer theory assumes prices affect demand only because they affect the budget constraint (BC). Alternative models, and some evidence, suggest prices can affect demand through other, non-BC channels (e.g., by signaling quality). This paper uses a lab and a field experiment to disentangle BC from non-BC effects of prices on demand. In the lab, we find that although prices positively affect stated willingness to pay, non-BC price elasticities are considerably smaller than BC price elasticities, are often statistically insignificant, and do not increase with product uncertainty. We do not detect any non-BC effects in our field experiment.
AB - Elementary consumer theory assumes prices affect demand only because they affect the budget constraint (BC). Alternative models, and some evidence, suggest prices can affect demand through other, non-BC channels (e.g., by signaling quality). This paper uses a lab and a field experiment to disentangle BC from non-BC effects of prices on demand. In the lab, we find that although prices positively affect stated willingness to pay, non-BC price elasticities are considerably smaller than BC price elasticities, are often statistically insignificant, and do not increase with product uncertainty. We do not detect any non-BC effects in our field experiment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84882264503&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1257/app.1.4.170
DO - 10.1257/app.1.4.170
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AN - SCOPUS:84882264503
SN - 1945-7782
VL - 1
SP - 170
EP - 199
JO - American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
JF - American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
IS - 4
ER -