The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?

Cross-section estimates of income elasticities for food staples in the aggregate based on quantity information from household food expenditure surveys are often in the 0.3 0.6 range. It is shown that differences in per capita calorie intakes across income groups implied by these income elasticities...

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Autor principal: Bouis, Howarth E.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 1994
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170797
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author Bouis, Howarth E.
author_browse Bouis, Howarth E.
author_facet Bouis, Howarth E.
author_sort Bouis, Howarth E.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Cross-section estimates of income elasticities for food staples in the aggregate based on quantity information from household food expenditure surveys are often in the 0.3 0.6 range. It is shown that differences in per capita calorie intakes across income groups implied by these income elasticities are grossly inconsistent with observed differences in bodyweights. Moreover, time series data frequently indicate that national per capita consumption of food staples in the aggregate remains constant even as per capita gross national product rises substantially. Cross-section income elasticity estimates are biased upwards due to the failure of food expenditure surveys to undertake an accurate accounting of food transfers from high to low income groups, biases which are not generated by survey techniques which record food intakes directly.
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spelling CGSpace1707972025-01-29T12:57:20Z The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates? Bouis, Howarth E. food consumption developing countries income household surveys methodology nutrition Cross-section estimates of income elasticities for food staples in the aggregate based on quantity information from household food expenditure surveys are often in the 0.3 0.6 range. It is shown that differences in per capita calorie intakes across income groups implied by these income elasticities are grossly inconsistent with observed differences in bodyweights. Moreover, time series data frequently indicate that national per capita consumption of food staples in the aggregate remains constant even as per capita gross national product rises substantially. Cross-section income elasticity estimates are biased upwards due to the failure of food expenditure surveys to undertake an accurate accounting of food transfers from high to low income groups, biases which are not generated by survey techniques which record food intakes directly. 1994-06 2025-01-29T12:57:20Z 2025-01-29T12:57:20Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170797 en Limited Access Elsevier Bouis, Howarth E. 1994. The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates? Journal of Development Economics 44(1): 199-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3878(94)00012-3
spellingShingle food consumption
developing countries
income
household surveys
methodology
nutrition
Bouis, Howarth E.
The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?
title The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?
title_full The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?
title_fullStr The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?
title_full_unstemmed The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?
title_short The effects of income on demand for food in poor countries: are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates?
title_sort effects of income on demand for food in poor countries are our food consumption databases giving us reliable estimates
topic food consumption
developing countries
income
household surveys
methodology
nutrition
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170797
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