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This paper applies revealed preference theory to the nonparametric statistical analysis of consumer demand. Knowledge of expansion paths is shown to improve the power of nonparametric tests of revealed preference. The tightest bounds on indifference surfaces and welfare measures are derived using an algorithm for which revealed preference conditions are shown to guarantee convergence. Nonparametric Engel curves are used to estimate expansion paths and provide a stochastic structure within which to examine the consistency of household level data and revealed preference theory. An application is made to a long time series of repeated cross-sections from the Family Expenditure Survey for Britain. The consistency of these data with revealed preference theory is examined. For periods of consistency with revealed preference, tight bounds are placed on true cost of living indices.
Authors
CPP Co-Director
Richard is Co-Director of the Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy (CPP) and Senior Research Fellow at IFS.
Research Associate University of Copenhagen
Martin is an IFS Research Associate, a Nuffield Senior Research Fellow and a Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford.
Ian Crawford
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.1997.9714
- Publisher
- IFS
Suggested citation
R, Blundell and M, Browning and I, Crawford. (1997). Non-parametric Engel curves and revealed preferences. London: IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/non-parametric-engel-curves-and-revealed-preferences (accessed: 25 April 2024).
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