Deep Habits in Consumption: A Spatial Panel Analysis Using Scanner Data

B. Verhelst () and Dirk Van den Poel

Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium from Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Abstract: Using scanner data from a large European retailer, this paper empirically assesses deep habit formation in consumption. Deep habit formation constitutes a possible source of price stickiness and helps to mimic procyclical labour and real wage dynamics that are present in macro data. To gauge the existence and the extent of deep habits in consumption, we estimate a dynamic timespace simultaneous model for consumption expenditure at different levels of product aggregation. This spatial panel model enables us to test for both internal and external deep habit formation at the same time. The former captures inertia or persistence in consumption, and is included in the empirical specification as a time lag. The latter captures preference interdependence across households and is captured by a spatial lag. Our results show mixed evidence with respect to internal habit formation, whereas the external habit effect is almost always positive and significant.

Keywords: Deep habits; Preference interdependence; Spatial panel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 C38 D12 L14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2012-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Deep habits in consumption: a spatial panel analysis using scanner data (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rug:rugwps:12/823

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