If an individual's health costs are U-shaped in weight with a minimum at some healthy level and if the individual has both self-control problems and rational motives for over- or underweight, the optimal paternalistic tax on calorie intake mitigates the individual's weight problem (intensive...

How do risk attitudes change after experiencing gains or losses? For the case of losses, Imas (Am Econ Rev 106:2086–2109, 2016) shows that subsequent risk-taking behavior depends on whether these losses have been realized or not. After a realized loss, individuals’ risk-taking decreases,...

Purpose - This research aims to analyse the variables related to the purchase intention of COVID-19 rapid tests in Monterrey, Mexico's metropolitan area. Design/methodology/approach - The chosen method was probit regression. The results show that purchase intention depends on the consumer's...

Characteristics models have been found to be useful in many areas of economics. However,their empirical implementation tends to rely heavily on functional form assumptions. Inthis paper we develop a revealed preference approach to characteristics models. We derivethe necessary and sufficient...

Strong growth in disposable income has driven, and is still driving, consumption to unprecedented,but not sustainable levels. To explain the dynamic interplay of needs, need satisfaction, andinnovation underlying that growth a behavioral theory of consumption is suggested and discussedwith...

Behavioral (e.g. consumption) patterns of boundedly rational agents can lead these agents intolearning dynamics that appear to be “wasteful” in terms of well-being or welfare. Within settingsdisplaying preference endogeneity, it is however still unclear how to conceptualize well-being.This...

In order to explain the growth of obesity in industrialized and transitioneconomies, a behavioral approach to food intake and overconsumption of caloriesis presented. It is argued that changes in food consumption patterns are one of themain drivers behind the imbalance of calories consumed and...

This paper posits that significant changes in 19th century British recreational travel patternsresulted from a change in the manner in which tourists used entertaining stimuli in order to attain pleasure.Consumers no longer merely viewed arousing stimuli, but attempted to use them to produce...

Gaps in welfare attainment between boys and girls in China have attractedinternational attention. In this paper demand analysis is used to try and uncoverthe factors which may be driving the emergence of these gender gaps.Drawing on household expenditure data from a poor (Sichuan) and rich...

We analytically show that a common across rich/poor individuals Stone-Geary utility function with subsistence consumption in the context of a simple two-asset portfolio-choice model is capable of qualitatively and quantitatively explaining: (i) the higher saving rates of the rich, (ii) the...