A Long-run Disaggregated Cross-section and Time-series Demand System: An Application to Italy

In this paper, we study a long-run disaggregated model of consumption following an approach based on an integrated cross-section and time-series demand system. The study consists of three steps. First, a cross-section analysis is performed on data from household budget surveys. At this stage, the problem of 'zero expenditures' is solved. The cross-section results are transformed into variables for use in the time-series system of demand. Then, this demand system is built and estimated. Some results for Italy concerning both the cross-section and the time-series analyses are presented.