A nonparametric method for valuing new goods

This paper presents a revealed preference method for calculating a lower bound on the virtual or reservation price of a new good and suggests a way to improve these bounds by using budget expansion paths. This allows the calculation of cost-of-living and price indices when the number of goods available changes between periods. We apply this technique to the UK National Lottery and illustrate the effects of its inclusion in measures of inflation. JEL Classification: C43, D11

A nonparametric characteristics model of the demand for milk

Characteristics models in demand analysis capture the idea that people value goods not For the commodity itself but for the characteristics (or attributes) or embodied in the good. For example, agents may care about the fat content and the taste of different sorts of milk but not the actual type of milk. When we have fewer characteristics than types of good the theory imposes restrictions on observables. We present a revealed preference characteristics model analysis of the demand for milk in Denmark

Revealed preference analysis of characteristics models

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. In this paper we develop a revealed preference approach to characteristics models. We derive the necessary and sufficient empirical conditions under which data on the market behaviour of heterogeneous, price-taking consumers are nonparametrically consistent with the consumer characteristics model. Where these conditions hold, we show how information may be recovered on individual consumer’s marginal valuations of product attributes. In some cases marginal valuations are point identified and in other cases we can only recover bounds. Where the conditions fail we highlight the role which the introduction of unobserved product attributes can play in rationalising the data. We implement these ideas using consumer panel data on the Danish milk market.Product characteristics, revealed preference

Nonparametric methods for the characteristic model

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. In this paper we develop a revealed preference-based nonparametric approach to characteristics models. We derive the minimal necessary and sufficient empirical conditions under which data on the market behaviour of individual, heterogeneous, pricetaking consumers are nonparametrically consistent with the consumer characteristics model. Where these conditions hold, we show how information may be recovered on individual consumer's marginal valuations of product attributes. In some cases marginal valuations are point identi- fied and in other cases we can only recover bounds. Where the conditions fail we highlight the role which the introduction of unobserved product attributes can play in rationalising the data. We implement these ideas using consumer panel data on the Danish milk market.Product characteristics, revealed preference

Revealed preference analysis of characteristics models

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. In this paper we develop a revealed preference approach to characteristics models. We derive the necessary and sufficient empirical conditions under which data on the market behaviour of heterogeneous, price-taking consumers are nonparametrically consistent with the consumer characteristics model. Where these conditions hold, we show how information may be recovered on individual consumer's marginal valuations of product attributes. In some cases marginal valuations are point identified and in other cases we can only recover bounds. Where the conditions fail we highlight the role which the introduction of unobserved product attributes can play in rationalising the data. We implement these ideas using consumer panel data on the Danish milk market.product characteristics; revealed preference

Issues in Evaluating Special Education Teachers: Challenges and Current Perspectives

Educatio

Thule Plant And Driftwood Use At Cape Espenberg, Alaska

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2012This thesis addresses the question of Thule plant and woody fuel use at Cape Espenberg, Alaska between approximately AD 1500 and 1700. The objective of this thesis is to determine how the Thule at Cape Espenberg were using various plant species, including edible plant species and fuelwood species. Few studies have been done on prehistoric Arctic plant use, and so this study intends to add to this nascent but growing field. By examining charcoal and macrofossil remains, this thesis is also intended to discover similarities and differences between the Thule and their modern Inupiat descendants in terms of plant and woody fuel use. Statistical tests and descriptive analyses indicate that plant foods contributed significant nutrition to the Thule diet at Cape Espenberg, that woody fuel was used heavily, and also actively conserved with the incorporation of alternative fuel sources such as bone and blubber. This exploratory study underscores the importance of plants in prehistoric Arctic economies, and the need for future research

Understanding the Impact of Childcare Ratios on Children’s Outcomes

The UK Government has recently consulted on changes to the statutory maximum staff-to-child ratios in early years settings in England in a bid to "improve the cost, choice, and availability of childcare" (DfE, 2022). Specifically, they have proposed altering the staff-to-child ratios for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5, bringing England into line with Scotland. The consultation also refers to wider options for reform, including changing staff-to-child ratios from 1:8 to 1:10 for 3-4-year-olds in settings for less than 4 hours per day, again in line with Scotland. There is strong evidence demonstrating that attending high quality early childhood education and care settings has significant positive impacts on both short and longer-term child outcomes. However, there is little robust quantitative evidence, especially for the UK, on the impact of staff-to-child ratios in care settings – one determinant of setting quality – on children’s outcomes. This severely limits our ability to inform decisions about the most appropriate childcare ratios

The Ground on Which We All Stand: A Conversation About Menstrual Equity Law and Activism

This essay grows out of a panel discussion among five lawyers on the subject of menstrual equity activism. Each of the authors is a scholar, activist or organizer involved in some form of menstrual equity work. The overall project is both enriched and complicated by an intersectional analysis. This essay increases awareness of existing menstrual equity and menstrual justice work; it also identifies avenues for further inquiry, next steps for legal action, and opportunities that lie ahead. After describing prior and current work at the junction of law and menstruation, the contributors evaluate the successes and limitations of recent legal changes. The authors then turn to conceptual issues about the relationship between menstrual equity and gender justice, as well as the difference between equity and equality. The essay concludes with consideration of the future of menstrual equity and menstrual justice work. The authors envision an expanded, inclusive group of individuals working for greater gender justice