Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/126377 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2015/100
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
This paper investigates the expenditure patterns of South African households using detailed cross-sectional expenditure and price data. Linear expenditure system (LES) parameter estimates are used to calculate income and price elasticities for a number of product categories at different points of the income distribution. We find substantial variation in the price and income elasticity of demand of items across the income distribution, with the bottom quartile being extremely sensitive to increases in the price of food and clothing items, and the top quartile being as sensitive as households in developed countries.
Subjects: 
demand elasticity
household food demand
income and price elasticity
linear expenditure system
JEL: 
D12
D31
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9230-989-3
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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