Engel Functions, Panel Data, and Latent Variables.

Systems of consumer expenditure functions are estimated from Norwegian household panel data. Total consumption expenditure is modeled as a latent variable, as indicators of it are purchase expenditures on different goods and two income measures. The usual assumption of no measurement error in total expenditure is clearly rejected while a parsimonious alternative is not. The authors test hypotheses regarding the distribution of measurement errors, the evolution of the distribution of latent total expenditure across households, the distribution of individual differences in preferences, and the possible correlation between preferences and latent total expenditure. Copyright 1993 by The Econometric Society.