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Cost Functions And Nonlinear Prices: Estimating A Technology With Quality-Differentiated Inputs

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  • Charles D. Kolstad
  • Michelle H. L. Turnovsky

Abstract

The paper is concerned with developing a production theory for the case when some inputs have nonlinear prices because the price depends on endogenous quality. This involves extending the notion of a cost function to the case where nonlinear prices are parameters of costs. After developing the appropriate theory, we apply our results to the case of coal-fired electric power generation where fuel quality depends on sulfur and ash impurities. Environmental regulations induce a negative value on sulfur whereas ash impurities degrade performance and thus reduce production possibilities. A number of empirical results emerge, including significant rates of technological change that are sulfur and ash saving though capital using. This change may explain in part the recent drop in the price of sulfur allowances in the United States. © 1998 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Suggested Citation

  • Charles D. Kolstad & Michelle H. L. Turnovsky, 1998. "Cost Functions And Nonlinear Prices: Estimating A Technology With Quality-Differentiated Inputs," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(3), pages 444-453, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:80:y:1998:i:3:p:444-453
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    Cited by:

    1. Kumar, Surender & Managi, Shunsuke, 2010. "Sulfur dioxide allowances: Trading and technological progress," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 623-631, January.
    2. Fanning, Jasper & Marsh, Thomas L., 2005. "Spatial Hedonic Analysis Of Veterinarian Income," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19168, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    3. Stavins, Robert & Jaffe, Adam & Newell, Richard, 2000. "Technological Change and the Environment," Working Paper Series rwp00-002, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    4. Cecilia Hammarlund, 2015. "The Big, the Bad, and the Average: Hedonic Prices and Inverse Demand for Baltic Cod," Marine Resource Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 30(2), pages 157-177.
    5. repec:ind:nipfwp:03 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Curtis Carlson & Dallas Burtraw & Maureen Cropper & Karen L. Palmer, 2000. "Sulfur Dioxide Control by Electric Utilities: What Are the Gains from Trade?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(6), pages 1292-1326, December.
    7. Paul Harris & Bruno Lanfranco & Binbin Lu & Alexis Comber, 2020. "Influence of Geographical Effects in Hedonic Pricing Models for Grass-Fed Cattle in Uruguay," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    8. Hammarlund, Cecilia, 2013. "The Big, the Bad and the Average: Hedonic Prices and Inverse Demand for Baltic Cod," Working Papers 2013:34, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    9. Surender Kumar & Rakesh Kumar Jain, 2021. "Cost of CO2 emission mitigation and its decomposition: evidence from coal-fired thermal power sector in India," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 693-717, August.
    10. Evgeny Popov, 2012. "Transactions & Institutions," Montenegrin Journal of Economics, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research (ELIT), vol. 8(2), pages 115-124.
    11. Kumar, Surender, 2003. "Productivity and profitability changes in the U.S. electric power plants during SO2 trading regime," Working Papers 03/3, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    12. Dae‐Wook Kim & Christopher R. Knittel, 2006. "Biases In Static Oligopoly Models? Evidence From The California Electricity Market," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 451-470, December.
    13. Adam Jaffe & Richard Newell & Robert Stavins, 2002. "Environmental Policy and Technological Change," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 22(1), pages 41-70, June.
    14. Jaffe, Adam B. & Newell, Richard G. & Stavins, Robert N., 2003. "Chapter 11 Technological change and the environment," Handbook of Environmental Economics, in: K. G. Mäler & J. R. Vincent (ed.), Handbook of Environmental Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 11, pages 461-516, Elsevier.
    15. repec:npf:wpaper:03 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Dae-Wook Kim & Christopher R. Knittel, 2004. "Biases in Static Oligopoly Models? Evidence from the California Electricity Market," NBER Working Papers 10895, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Dadi Kristofersson & Kyrre Rickertsen, 2004. "Efficient Estimation of Hedonic Inverse Input Demand Systems," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(4), pages 1127-1137.
    18. Scott E. Atkinson & Rong Luo, 2024. "Estimation Of Production Technologies With Output And Environmental Constraints," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 65(2), pages 755-780, May.
    19. Aiken, Deborah Vaughn & Pasurka, Carl Jr., 2003. "Adjusting the measurement of US manufacturing productivity for air pollution emissions control," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 329-351, October.
    20. Hampf, Benjamin & Rødseth, Kenneth Løvold, 2019. "Environmental efficiency measurement with heterogeneous input quality: A nonparametric analysis of U.S. power plants," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 610-625.

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