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地区收入、食品价格与恩格尔系数

• 出版日期:2019-06-25 发布日期:2019-06-13

Regional Income, Food Price and the Engel's Coefficient

Chen Menggen

• Online:2019-06-25 Published:2019-06-13

Abstract: With a sample of the crosssection data covering the 31 provincial regions of China in 2016, this paper investigates the relationship between the Engel’s coefficient, household income and food price by building an extension model. It is found that there is a significantly negative correlation between the Engel’s coefficient and regional residents’ income. After the incorporation of food prices, the impact of income on the Engel’s coefficient becomes more statistically significant, the relationship of the two conforming to Engel’s law. At the same time, the Engel’s coefficient is positively correlated to the food price represented by the regional food PPPs, and if some other factors are considered, the influence of food price on the Engel’s coefficient will be diluted. A further study shows that the negative relationship between the income and the superior Engel’s coefficient is much weaker than that between the income and the inferior Engel’s coefficient, both of which are calculated based on the food division of life necessities and life nonnecessities. Finally, the Engel’s coefficient is more strongly affected by the price of food necessities than that of food nonnecessities, and the inferior Engel’s coefficient is mainly influenced by the price of food necessities while the superior Engel’s coefficient is simultaneously affected by the two kinds of food prices.