摘要:

Denturism is the making and fitting of dentures directly for the public by nondentists. It is an example of potential competitive entry in a health services market and, like other such examples, its economic benefits must be weighed against any threat to the public health and safety. This article examines evidence relating to the economic benefits to consumers of legalizing denturism. Conservative estimates are presented of the economic benefits to consumers that would accrue under alternative institutional arrangements. Under several such arrangements it was found that the value of benefits is of the same order of magnitude as total government expenditures on dental services.

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00316.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for calculating savings needed to meet retirement goals under a variety of alternative assumptions about the economic and institutional environment. A “base case” that incorporates a zero real rate of interest serves as a starting point; next, differences resulting from a positive interest rate are examined. The analysis is further modified to take into account the effects of inflation, the role of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), and possible future changes in tax laws. Throughout, the goal is to evaluate how best to plan for a smooth, regular consumption level before and after retirement and to adjust savings programs for changes in one's situation or expectations. The framework provided herein is expected to be useful to consumer educators and financial counselors concerned with helping individuals to meet their retirement go

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00317.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The welfare loss from the voluntary export restraint (VER) on Japanese automobiles was estimated for the first year of the VER (April 1, 1981 to March 31, 1982). The impact of quantity reductions on the price of Japanese and domestic automobiles was used to estimate the welfare loss. Losses were estimated separately for the domestic small car market and the Japanese market in view of the existence of product differentiation. Welfare losses ranged from $446 million to $1,386 million depending on the price elasticity of demand assumed for Japanese automobiles. The welfare loss for domestic automobiles accounted for only a small proportion of this loss. The VER had a minor impact on the domestic automobile industry where sales remained low due to general economic conditions and limited substitutability between domestic and Japanese cars. However, the limited assistance provided by the VER to the domestic automobile industry entailed considerable costs as demonstrated by the magnitude of the welfare loss. A considerable part of this loss could have been avoided if other forms of trade protection such as tariffs had been used instead of the VER.

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00318.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Drawing upon Smith's [16] participation theory, it is proposed that consumers who complain are also very likely to be active in other areas of social, economic and political life. The relationship between consumer complaining behavior and political and citizen participation is investigated in this paper. Using data from a 1980 survey of Pennsylvania adults, it was found that complaining behavior was significantly related to community involvement in a multivariate analysis in which other key variables were controlled. Implications are explored for both consumer education and the study of consumer complaining behavior.

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00319.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of content analysis methodology for clarifying the nature of one agent of consumer socialization, prime‐time television. The results indicated that the consumer‐related content of prime‐time television programs can be identified with this technique and that it may be useful in studying a variety of issues in consumer affairs. Special issues that should be considered in using the methodology are outlined, as are some promising avenues for future research concerning the socialization of cons

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00320.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper shows that a wide variety of techniques are used to calculate yields on consumer investment instruments. No regulation comparable to the Federal Reserve System's Truth in Lending statute (Regulation Z) exists to standardize yields on consumer investments, and thus the consumer is not given the information necessary to make proper comparisons among alternative investments. The paper reviews yield calculation methods and reinvestment assumptions; it also examines the potentially deceptive use of Treasury bill yields as the ceiling for bank and thrift accounts. In order to reduce confusion and standardize reported yields, it is proposed that disclosure be required of both the simple yield and the annualized effective yield, assuming reinvestment at the initial rate of return.

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00321.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Household allocation of windfall income has been a controversial topic since Friedman proposed the permanent income hypothesis. Release of retroactive pay checks to a group of university employees provided the opportunity for further investigation of this issue.Responses to a mail survey of these employees suggested that funds were evenly distributed among current expenses, outstanding debts, financial investments, and new expenditures. Reclassification of allocations as either consumption or savings indicated that somewhat over one‐third of allocations were to consumption and slightly less than two‐thirds were to savings. Discriminant analyses demonstrated that size of windfall was the most important discriminator with respect to type of allocation. The data have implications for policy regarding notification concerning a windfall distribution. It appears that quality of decision making may be improved by insuring that recipients are provided with some advance notice of an impending windf

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00322.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

An ordinary least squares model was developed depicting relationships between four economic factors and search effort prior to purchase. The model was examined using data provided by a sample of 166 couples who had purchased an automobile or one of eight durable goods. Wife's education and relative size of expenditure were found to be positively associated with search effort. Policy implications of the research findings are noted for designers of consumer information programs.

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00323.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

In recent years, the proportion of home purchases financed by lending institutions has declined and the use of alternative financing methods has increased. This paper examines the costs, risks and benefits associated with seller‐financing, a popular alternative financing method. The topic is discussed from the perspectives of the buyer and the seller. An empirical analysis is also conducted of condominium sales in Hawaii to gauge the impact of seller‐financing upon the housing market as well as its economic effects upon buyers and sellers. Overall, it is concluded that buyers are the primary beneficiaries of seller‐fina

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00324.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This thinkpiece about the state of the field identifies consumer studies as a subject matter area rather than as a discipline because no unifying methodology or system of logic characterizes it. In the absence of a distinct methodological or theoretical core, the disciplines involved in the field are better thought of as the allied “consumer sciences” rather than as “consumer science.” The subject matter, “consumer studies,” sits alongside many other fields like American studies, environmental studies and marketing in drawing together a number of distinctive methodological bents to explain its topic. On the other hand, when consumer studies takes the form of an interdisciplinary undergraduate program, it must ultimately deal with a tradeoff: while students may gain greater insight into the subject matter, they receive less formal grounding in a system of logic than do graduates of disciplina

ISSN:0022-0078    

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.1984.tb00325.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY