Full Citation

Title: Empirical analysis of the US consumer

Citation Type: Book, Section

Publication Year: 2019

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813524-2.00001-9

NSFID:

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Abstract: The term “streetlight effect” is used to describe an observational bias in research, given the tension that often exists between the observational demands of a research question and the measurements at hand to answer it. The fact that direct experiments are relatively uncommon in economics is a reflection of this tension. One might argue further that US consumption, with few detailed data sources compared to economic variables like employment and income, is particularly prone to these issues. Today, the interplay of methodological advances and data availability is driving a broader empirical shift in the economics profession that is very much in operation with reference to the US consumer. As the area circumscribed by “good light” expands, a more holistic view is emerging of consumer motivations, constraints, and, ultimately, behavior, and the observational biases inherent to this line of research are gradually diminishing. This chapter discusses the evolution of data sources used in the analysis of the US consumer and describes key themes in this area of research.

Url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128135242000019

Url: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780128135242000019

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Authors: Haughwout, Andrew; Mandel, Benjamin R.

Editors: Haughwout, Andrew; Mandel, Benjamin

Pages: 1-21

Volume Title: Handbook of US Consumer Economics

Publisher: Elsevier

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Volume:

Edition:

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Other

Countries: United States