Is Demand for Foods Heterogeneous in Urban China? Evidence from Household Data of Three Coastal Provinces

中國城鎮食品需求是異質的嗎？使用三個沿海省份居民調查資料來驗證

10.6181/agec.2012.48.03

劉鋼(Ernest Kang Liu)

異質性 ； 食品消費 ； 二階段預算 ； 二次近似理想需求體系 ； 中國城鎮 ； Heterogeneity ； Food consumption ； Two-Stage budgeting ； Quadratic almost ideal demand system ； Urban China

農業與經濟

48期（2012 / 06 / 01）

69 - 106

英文

本研究的主要目的是探討中國城鎮的食品需求是否具有異質性。在兩階段預算配置的前提下，本文根據中國膳食寶塔將18項在家消費食品分為五群；並依據資料特性，考量多種研究方法來解決估計時的問題，其中包括使用二次近似理想需求體系作為模型設定、運用「一般預算份額之比例縮放和轉換」法來納入社會人口變數以及使用兩步驟估計法處理零值消費。利用1998年廣東、江蘇和山東三省的城鎮居民資料，本研究的實證結果顯示：第一、在解釋在家消費的食品需求時，社會人口變數和經濟變數的重要性，不分軒輊。由於不同省份間對於食品需求存在相當程度的差異；因此中國應被視為多個市場而非一個市場。第二，所得仍是影響食品需求最重要的經濟變數。隨著中國城鎮家庭收入的不斷增加，貧富差距將反應在不同的食品消費上。最後，本研究所包含的18項在家消費食品，對於價格、所得和人口統計變數的反應也表現得相當分歧。因此，本研究的實證結果充分說明中國城鎮在家消費的食品需求是異質的。

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether demand for foods in urban China is heterogeneous. Under the assumption of the two-stage budgeting, 18 food-at-home items are divided into five sub-groups. As a result, we estimate six separate quadratic almost ideal demand systems for the two stages, which incorporate demographic variables using the ”ordinary budget share scaling and translation” (OBSSAT) and a two-step estimator to deal with zero consumption problems when necessary. Employing Chinese urban household data in three coastal provinces in 1998, our empirical results show that, first, demographic variables are as important as economic factors in explaining food demands using the OBSSAT. Regional heterogeneity is strongly supported by using household data from three coastal provinces; therefore, China should be treated as several markets instead of one huge market. Second, income is still one of the most important economic factors affecting food demands. As household income consistently increases in urban China, our findings imply that the poor and the rich would react differently about their food consumption in relation to an increase in income. Finally, 18 at-home food items are investigated in this study; these food items also respond heterogeneously to prices, income, and demographic variables.

1. Liu, K. E.,Chern, W. S.(2002).Food Demand in Urban China and its Implications for Agricultural Trade: Model Selection Based on Forecasting.Agriculture and Economics,29,75-100.
   連結：
2. National Bureau of Statistics (2001), China Statistical Yearbook, Beijing: China Statistics Press.
3. Banks, J.,Blundell, R.,Lewbel, A.(1997).Quadratic Engel Curves and Consumer Demand.The Review of Economics and Statistics,79,527-539.
4. Bhandari, R.,Smith, F. J.(2000).Education and Food Consumption Patterns in China: Household Analysis and Policy Implications.Journal of Nutrition Education,32,214-224.
5. Bollino, C. A.,Perali, F.,Rossi, N.(2000).Linear Household Technologies.Journal of Applied Econometrics,15,275-287.
6. Carpentier, A.,Guyomard, H.(2001).Unconditional Elasticties in Two-Stage Demand Systems: An Approximate Solution.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,83,222-229.
7. Chern, W. S.(2000).Assessment of Demand-Side Factors Affecting Global Food Security.Food Security in Asia: Economics and Policies,MA:
8. Chern, W. S.,Wang, G.(1994).The Engel Function and Complete Food Demand System for Chinese Urban Households.China Economic Review,5(1),35-57.
9. Deaton, A.,Muellbauer, J.(1980).An Almost Ideal Demand System.American Economic Review,70,312-326.
10. Deaton, A.,Muellbauer, J.(1980).Economics and Consumer Behavior.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
11. Dong, D. S.,Gould, B. W.,Kaiser, H. M.(2004).Food Demand in Mexico: An Application of the Amemiya-Tobin Approach to the Estimation of a Censored Food System.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,86,1094-1107.
12. Fan, J. X.,Chern, W. S.(1997).Analysis of Food Consumption Patterns in Chian: Nonparametric and Parametric Approaches.Journal of Family and Economic Issues,18,113-125.
13. Fan, S.,Wailes, E. J.,Cramer, G. L.(1995).Household Demand in Rural China: A Two-Stage LES-AIDS Model.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,77,54-62.
14. Gao, X. M.,Wailes, E. J.,Cramer, G. L.(1996).A Two-Stage Rural Household Demand Analysis: Microdata Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,78,604-613.
15. Ge, K.,Jia, J.,Liu, H.(2007).Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in China-Practices and Problems.Annals of Nutrition and Metabolosm,51,26-31.
16. Goldman, S. M.,Uzawa, H.(1964).A Note on Separability in Demand Analysis.Econometrica,32,387-398.
17. Gould, B. W.(2002).Household Composition and Food Expenditures in China.Agribusiness,18,387-407.
18. Gould, B. W.,Villarreal, H. J.(2006).An Assessment of the Current Structure of Food Demand in Urban China.Agricultural Economics,34,1-16.
19. Lewbel, A.(1985).A Unified Approach to Incorporating Demographic or Other Effects into Demand Systems.Review of Economic Studies,52,1-18.
20. Lewbel, A.(1989).Identification and Estimation of Equivalence Scales under Weak Separability.Review of Economic Studies,56,311-316.
21. Lewis, P.,Andrews, N.(1989).Household Demand in China.Applied Economics,21,793-807.
22. Liu, K. E.,Chern, W. S.(2001).Estimation of Food Demand Systems: Evidence from Micro Household Data in Urban China.Agricultural and Resource Economics Review,30,216-217.
23. Liu, K. E.,Chern, W. S.(1999).Food Consumption in Urban and Rural China: Quantity vs. Quality.Consumer Interests Annual,45,132.
24. Liu, K. E.,Chern, W. S.(2001).Effects of Model Specification and Demographic Variables on Food Consumption: Microdata Evidence from Jiangsu, China.Proceedings of Conference of the 11th Annual World Food and Agribusiness Forum, World Food and Agribusiness Symposium of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association,Australia, Sydney:
25. Michalek, J.,Keyzer, M. A.(1992).Estimation of a Two-Stage LES-AIDS Consumer Demand System for Eight EC Countries.European Review of Agricultural Economics,19,137-163.
26. Pan, S. W.,Fang, C.,Malaga, J.(2006).Alcoholic Beverage Consumption in China: A Censored Demand System Approach.Applied Economics Letters,13,975-979.
27. Perali, F.,Chavas, J. P.(2000).Estimation of Censored Demand Equations from Large Cross-Section Data.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,82,1022-1037.
28. Pollak, R. A.,Wales, T. J.(1981).Demographic Variables in Demand Analysis.Econometrica,49,1533-1551.
29. Segerson, K.,Mount, T. D.(1985).A Non-Homothetic Two-Stage Decision Model Using AIDS.The Review of Economics and Statistics,67,630-639.
30. Shonkwiler, J. S.,Yen, S. T.(1999).Two-Step Estimation of a Censored System of Equations.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,81,972-982.
31. Wang, Z.,Chern, W. S.(1992).Effects of Rationing on the Consumption Behavior of Chinese Urban Households during 1981-1987.Journal of Comparative Economics,16,1-26.
32. Wu, Y.,Li, E.,Samuel, S. N.(1995).Food Consumption in Urban China: An Empirical Analysis.Applied Economics,27,509-515.
33. Yen, S. T.,Fang, C.,Su, S. H.(2004).Household Food Demand in Urban China: A Censored System Approach.Journal of Comparative Economics,32,564-585.
34. Yen, S. T.,Lin, B. H.(2006).A Sample Selection Approach to Censored Demand Systems.American Journal of Agricultural Economics,88,742-749.
35. Yen, S. T.,Lin, B. H.(2008).Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimation of a Censored Equation System with a Copula Approach: Meat Consumption by US Individual.Agricultural Economics,39,207-217.
36. Yen, S. T.,Yuan, Y.,Liu, X. W.(2009).Alcohol Consumption by Men in China: A Non-Gaussian Censored System Approach.China Economic Review,20,162-173.
37. Zhao, F.,Wahl, T.(1999).Changing Animal Protein Food Demand in Urban China.Proceeding of Conference of the AAEA Annual Meeting,Canada, Alberta: