How Large Are Non-Budget-Constraint Effects of Prices on Demand?

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2009
Volume: 1
Issue: 4
Pages: 170-99

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

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. (JEL C93, D12, M31)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:1:y:2009:i:4:p:170-99
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29