Household Demand for Consumer Goods in Developing Countries A Comparative Perspective with Developed Countries

This book analyses the household demand for consumer goods using a diverse database, consisting of 45 developed and developing countries. Household consumption patterns have undergone dramatic changes due to rapid economic growth, increasing household income and changing demographics. Using the most recent data available and the latest econometric techniques, the authors model demand for 12 different commodities such as food, alcohol and tobacco, housing, health, transport, health communication, and recreation and provide insightful comparisons of consumption patterns in developed and developing countries. The analysis presented in this book highlights valuable policy insights for planning government budgetary allocations and implementing policies towards an enhanced standard of living for people. The book also provides some important guidance for researchers interested in the theory and empirical application of the analysis of consumer demand.

1. Introduction 2. An Overview of Consumer Demand 3. A Preliminary Analysis of Consumption Patterns: Developed vs Developing Countries 4. Demand System Estimation 5. Household Demand in the Asia Pacific Countries 6. Demand for Food, Alcohol, Tobacco, Restaurants and Soft Drinks 7. Demand for Transport, Communication and Housing 8. Demand for Health, Recreation and Education 9. Demand for Consumer Goods: A Summary

Eliyathamby A Selvanathan is the Director of the Economics Policy Analysis Program (EPAP) and Professor of Econometrics in the Economics and Business Statistics Discipline at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Saroja Selvanathan is a Professor of Econometrics in the Economics and Business Statistics Discipline at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Maneka Jayasinghe is the Head of the Business discipline and Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Asia Pacific College of Business and Law at Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.