世界経済・社会統計 = World development indicators

Co-Planar Stereotaxic Atlas of the Human Brain—3-Dimensional Proportional System: An Approach to Cerebral Imaging, J. Talairach, P. Tournoux. Georg Thieme Verlag, New York (1988), 122 pp., 130 figs. DM 268

计量经济分析 = Econometric analysis

In 1974 an article appeared in Science magazine with the dry-sounding title “Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases” by a pair of psychologists who were not well known outside their discipline of decision theory. In it Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman introduced the world to Prospect Theory, which mapped out how humans actually behave when faced with decisions about gains and losses, in contrast to how economists assumed that people behave. Prospect Theory turned Economics on its head by demonstrating through a series of ingenious experiments that people are much more concerned with losses than they are with gains, and that framing a choice from one perspective or the other will result in decisions that are exactly the opposite of each other, even if the outcomes are monetarily the same. Prospect Theory led cognitive psychology in a new direction that began to uncover other human biases in thinking that are probably not learned but are part of our brain’s wiring.

Thinking fast and slow.

The author systematically examines one of the important issues of information — establishing the market price. He introduces the concept of «search» — where a buyer wanting to get a better price, is forced to question sellers. The article deals with various aspects of finding the necessary information.

Economics of Information

Recent legislation has required calorie labels on restaurant menus as a means of improving Americans’ health. Despite the growing research in this area, no consensus has been reached on the effectiveness of menu labels. This suggests the possibility of heterogeneity in responses to caloric labels across people with different attitudes and demographics. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential relationships between caloric intake and diners’ socio-economic characteristics and attitudes in a restaurant field experiment that systematically varied the caloric information printed on the menus. We conducted a field experiment in a full service restaurant where patrons were randomly assigned to one of three menu treatments which varied the amount of caloric information printed on the menus (none, numeric, or symbolic calorie label). At the conclusion of their meals, diners were asked to complete a brief survey regarding their socio-economic characteristics, attitudes, and meal selections. Using regression analysis, we estimated the number of entree and extra calories ordered by diners as a function of demographic and attitudinal variables. Additionally, irrespective of the menu treatment to which a subject was assigned, our study identified which types of people are likely to be low-, medium-, and high-calorie diners. Results showed that calorie labels have the greatest impact on those who are least health conscious. Additionally, using a symbolic calorie label can further reduce the caloric intake of even the most health conscious patrons. Finally, calorie labels were more likely to influence the selection of the main entree as opposed to supplemental items such as drinks and desserts. If numeric calorie labels are implemented (as currently proposed), they are most likely to influence consumers who are less health conscious – probably one of the key targets of this legislation. Unfortunately, numeric labels did little for those consumers who were already more knowledgeable about health and nutrition. To reach a broader group of diners, a symbolic calorie label may be preferred as it reduced caloric intake across all levels of health consciousness.

/pdf/looking-at-the-label-and-beyond-the-effects-of-calorie-1u2zyjlb19.pdf

Looking at the label and beyond: the effects of calorie labels, health consciousness, and demographics on caloric intake in restaurants

Historically, the challenge for humans has been to secure a sufficient supply of food to stave off hunger and starvation. As a result, much of the research on food and agriculture in the past century has focused on issues related to production efficiency, food supply, and farm profitability. In recent years, however, farmers, agribusiness, policy makers, and academics have increasingly turned their attention away from the farm and toward the food consumer and to issues related to food consumption. This handbook provides an overview of the economics of food consumption and policy and is a useful reference for academics and graduate students interested in food economics and the consumer-end of the supply chain. It is also relevant to those employed in food and agricultural industries, policy makers, and activist groups. The first section covers the application of the core theoretical and methodological approaches of the economics of food consumption and policy. The second part concentrates on policy issues related to food consumption. Several chapters focus on the theoretical and conceptual issues relevant in food markets, such as product bans, labeling, food standards, political economy, and scientific uncertainty. Additional chapters discuss policy issues of particular interest to the consumer-end of the food supply chain, such as food safety, nutrition, food security, and development. The final section serves as an introduction to particular issues and current topics in food consumption and policy. Contributors to this volume - Awudu Abdulai, University of Kiel, Germany W.L. Adamowicz, University of Alberta, Canada Luis Miguel Albisu, Agro-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), Spain Frode Alfnes, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway Sven M. Anders, University of Alberta, Canada Fredrik Carlsson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden Sean B. Cash, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA Julie A. Caswell, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA Marco Costanigro, Colorado State University, USA Sven-Olov Daunfeldt, Dalarna University, Sweden Andreas C. Drichoutis, University of Ioannina, Greece Fabrice Etile Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France and Paris School of Economics, France Jacinto F. Fabiosa, Iowa State University, USA John A. Fox, Kansas State University, USA Konstantinos Giannakas, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA Azucena Gracia, Agro-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), Spain Roland Herrmann, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Germany Sandra A. Hoffmann, Resources for the Future, Washington, DC, USA Wallace E. Huffman, Iowa State University, USA Helen H. Jensen, Iowa State University, USA Olof Johansson-Stenman, University of Gothenburg, Sweden David R. Just, Cornell University, USA Harry M. Kaiser, Cornell University, USA Christian Kuhlgatz, University of Kiel, Germany Panagiotis Lazaridis, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece Mariah L. Loureiro, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain Jayson L. Lusk, Oklahoma State University, USA Stephan Marette, UMR Economie Publique INRA-AgroParisTech, France Thomas L. Marsh, Washington State University, USA William A. Masters, Tufts University, USA Jill J. McCluskey, Washington State University, USA Pierre R. Merel , University of California-Davis, USA Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr., University of Arkansas, USA Jonas Nordstrom, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Lund University, Sweden Nicholas E. Piggott, North Carolina State University, USA Kyrre Rickertsen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway Jutta Roosen, Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany Ana Isabel Sanjuan, Agro-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), Spain Ted C. Schroeder, Kansas State University, USA Richard J. Sexton, University of California-Davis, USA Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University, USA Jason F. Shogren, University of Wyoming, USA Hayden Stewart, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, USA Joffre D. Swait, University of Alberta, Canada Johan F.M. Swinnen, University of Leuven, Belgium Mario F. Teisl, Professor, University of Maine, USA Ramona Teuber, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Germany Linda Thunstrom, The Swedish Retail Institute (HUI), Sweden Glynn T. Tonsor, Kansas State University, USA Thijs Vandemoortele, University of Leuven, Belguim Joachim von Braun, Bonn University, Germany Christoph R. Weiss, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria Parke Wilde, Tufts University, USA Michael K. Wohlgenant,North Carolina State University, USA

The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Food Consumption and Policy

Sales of private goods with affiliated public good attributes have markedly risen in recent years. This fact is difficult to explain within the paradigm of purely self-interested behavior. This paper investigates factors influencing consumer demand for pork products with certifications related to the environment, animal welfare, and antibiotics. Using psychometric scaling techniques, we measure individuals’ degree of altruism and propensity toward free riding. Results of a random parameter logit model applied to choice data obtained from a nationwide survey in the United States indicates that more altruistic individuals are willing to pay more for pork products with public good attributes than less altruistic individuals and free riders. These results indicate that private purchases of goods with public-good attributes are not simply a result of individuals’ perceptions of the ability to mitigate private risks such as food safety, but that individuals are making private choices to affect public outcomes. Results have implications for policy makers weighing the relative costs and benefits of food labeling policies versus bans related to certain livestock production practices.

Public Preferences and Private Choices: Effect of Altruism and Free Riding on Demand for Environmentally Certified Pork

Recent work by agricultural economists has failed to adequately identify why consumers desire country-of-origin labeling, a key piece of information needed to determine whether a market-failure exists. This paper brings to the attention of agricultural economists a sizable body of literature on country-of-origin effects from the marketing and business disciplines. Based on this literature, we draw a distinction between several consumer motivations for origin labels and we identify which of these is cause for public policy. We propose several research questions that require answers if the consequences of country-of-origin labeling policy are to be fully understood.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3700760.pdf

Jayson L. Lusk

Papers

Looking at the label and beyond: the effects of calorie labels, health consciousness, and demographics on caloric intake in restaurants

The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Food Consumption and Policy

Public Preferences and Private Choices: Effect of Altruism and Free Riding on Demand for Environmentally Certified Pork

Consumer Behavior, Public Policy, and Country-of-Origin Labeling

Social Desirability Bias in Real, Hypothetical, and Inferred Valuation Experiments