Data and Code for: "Optimal Internality Taxation of Product Attributes"

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Andreas Gerster, University of Mannheim (Germany); Michael Kramm, Technical University of Dortmund, University of Cologne

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
Analysis_replication package			10/11/2023 06:06:AM

Project Citation:

Gerster, Andreas, and Kramm, Michael . Data and Code for: “Optimal Internality Taxation of Product Attributes.” Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2024. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-07-10. https://doi.org/10.3886/E192302V1

Project Description

Summary:

This paper explores how a benevolent policy maker should optimally tax (or subsidize) product attributes when consumers are behaviorally biased. We demonstrate that market choices are informative about biases, which can be exploited for targeting biased consumers via a non-linear tax schedule. We show that its properties depend on few parameters of the joint distribution of consumer valuations and biases. Furthermore, we provide a novel justification for behaviorally motivated product standards and derive when a combination of taxes and standards is optimal. We illustrate our findings based on a numerical example from the lightbulb market.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: Energy efficiency; electronic devices

JEL Classification:
      D04 Microeconomic Policy: Formulation, Implementation, and Evaluation
      D82 Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
      H21 Taxation and Subsidies: Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
      Q58 Environmental Economics: Government Policy

Geographic Coverage: Germany

Time Period(s): 1/1/2012 – 12/31/2012 (prices in the year 2012)

Collection Date(s): 11/1/2018 – 11/30/2018 (November 2018)

Data Type(s): observational data

Collection Notes: The data covers attributes and prices for lightbulb varieties sold by the two manufacturers Osram and Philips on the German market in 2012. When data on 2012 was unavailable, data for the most recent year was collected.

Methodology

Sampling: Lightbulbs sold by Osram and Philips.

Data Source: Website geizhals.de (accessed November 2018)

Collection Mode(s): coded on-site observation

Unit(s) of Observation: Lightbulb variety

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Published Versions

V1 [2024-07-10]

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