This study tests hypothesis derived from the theory of rationing using data for Polish households during the transition. The demand system consists of six commodity groups, and virtual prices are derived for the rationed goods. The empirical results are consistent with the theory: larger...

The costs of shortages and rationing are not captured by standard consumer price indices. Thus the change in real GDP per capita is an over estimate of welfare losses in transition economies. In this study virtual prices are used to calculate new cost of living indices (CLI). The results for...

This paper presents evidence on the impact of individual as well as regional characteristics on changes in fat, protein, alcohol and cigarette consumption, and on diet’s diversity between 1994 and 2004. The results from a dynamic econometric model suggest that among individual...

This paper integrates theoretical and empirical models to study the rise of human obesity in Russia during the transition from a planned to a market economy. To test our hypotheses we use recent individual-level data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for 1995 and 2004. Estimation...

Food assistance programs play an important role in meeting the basic needs of low-income households. We consider the complex interactions among food stamps, labor force participation, and food insecurity status of low-income households under different program designs and economic conditions. The...

The consumption and welfare changes during the transition in rural Poland are evaluated using the virtual price for the rationed goods in the pre-reform period. The rural households did respond to price and real income changes during the transition. The actual changes in consumption patterns are...

This paper estimates the impacts of weight, measured by body mass index (BMI), on employment, wages, and missed work due to illness for Russian adults by gender, in order to better understand the mechanisms through which obesity affects employment, wages, and sick-leave days using recent panel...