10.04.2004
An Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Addiction
While I was browsing the departments of various grad programs, I came across an empirical analysis of cigarette addiction. Citation at foot - so funny. Price-elasticity as symptom... only in America. That is not really what its about, but anyways.
I'm at work right now, but I'm off task, as my therapist says. He has hinted that I have an executive function deficit - basically that I am ADD, but with a recommendation of a PDA instead of fun stimulant drugs.
So, like a good patient, I spent last week looking for a smartphone. At the start of September I had to duct tape the battery into my old Nokia. Last week the duct tape fell off, leaving a gooey residue. Between the sticky palms and the new diagnosis, I felt OK dropping some cash on a new phone. After the visions of $100 after-rebate blackberrys stopped dancing through my head, I purchased an LG VX4400 with a cheap long distance plan from Verizon. My VX is not going to organize me completely, but the little note pad keeps me vaguely on task and smooths the work-home transition. The phone also has some good alarms, including a timer I set when my mind starts to wander, so I don't go too far for too long.
A little disappointed with the therapist, overall. Together we avoid all hard topics in favor of the easy, behavioral stuff... getting out of bed, staying on task, setting boundaries, etc. I can't say it doesn't help, but somehow I feel like my time would be better spent flushing out the bugaboos and misapprehensions in my head.
The debate was great. Saw it with a good group at Manuels Tavern with about 300 other dems, a senator and a Fox News camera crew. Was wondering how the republicans would spin 'You forgot about Poland' and 'Saddam bin Laden,' so I watched Hannity and Colmes on Friday. Where did they dig Colmes up from? He looks like a half-rotted beagle who was trained to wag his tail when beaten. Anyways. Hannity 'interviewed' a rep from the Kerry campaign who could not keep a straight face... he kept cracking up at their whole shtick.
I was going to blog, but I felt politically sated, redeemed, and a little overwhelmed by the post-debate spin. Enough has been said. I'd like to see Cheney-Edwards tomorrow at the same bar, get drunk, then go to the Clairmont for some singing. We'll see.
In other news.... the hurricaines have passed for the meantime, revealing a stable and steadily declining temperature. I have a fanta bottle of Samoan coconut oil which is only liquid at about 80 degrees. This AM I woke up and saw that it had congealed overnight, for the first time since spring. Fall is here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Addiction
Gary S. Becker; Michael Grossman; Kevin M. Murphy
The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 3. (Jun., 1994), pp. 396-418.
Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8282%28199406%2984%3A3%3C396%3AAEAOCA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V
Abstract
To test a model of rational addiction, we examine whether lower past and future prices for cigarettes raise current cigarette consumption. The empirical results tend to support the implication of addictive behavior that cross price effects are negative and that long-run responses exceed short-run responses. Since the long-run price elasticity of demand is almost twice as large as the short-run price elasticity, the long-run increase in tax revenue from an increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes is considerably smaller than the short-run increase.
I'm at work right now, but I'm off task, as my therapist says. He has hinted that I have an executive function deficit - basically that I am ADD, but with a recommendation of a PDA instead of fun stimulant drugs.
So, like a good patient, I spent last week looking for a smartphone. At the start of September I had to duct tape the battery into my old Nokia. Last week the duct tape fell off, leaving a gooey residue. Between the sticky palms and the new diagnosis, I felt OK dropping some cash on a new phone. After the visions of $100 after-rebate blackberrys stopped dancing through my head, I purchased an LG VX4400 with a cheap long distance plan from Verizon. My VX is not going to organize me completely, but the little note pad keeps me vaguely on task and smooths the work-home transition. The phone also has some good alarms, including a timer I set when my mind starts to wander, so I don't go too far for too long.
A little disappointed with the therapist, overall. Together we avoid all hard topics in favor of the easy, behavioral stuff... getting out of bed, staying on task, setting boundaries, etc. I can't say it doesn't help, but somehow I feel like my time would be better spent flushing out the bugaboos and misapprehensions in my head.
The debate was great. Saw it with a good group at Manuels Tavern with about 300 other dems, a senator and a Fox News camera crew. Was wondering how the republicans would spin 'You forgot about Poland' and 'Saddam bin Laden,' so I watched Hannity and Colmes on Friday. Where did they dig Colmes up from? He looks like a half-rotted beagle who was trained to wag his tail when beaten. Anyways. Hannity 'interviewed' a rep from the Kerry campaign who could not keep a straight face... he kept cracking up at their whole shtick.
I was going to blog, but I felt politically sated, redeemed, and a little overwhelmed by the post-debate spin. Enough has been said. I'd like to see Cheney-Edwards tomorrow at the same bar, get drunk, then go to the Clairmont for some singing. We'll see.
In other news.... the hurricaines have passed for the meantime, revealing a stable and steadily declining temperature. I have a fanta bottle of Samoan coconut oil which is only liquid at about 80 degrees. This AM I woke up and saw that it had congealed overnight, for the first time since spring. Fall is here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Addiction
Gary S. Becker; Michael Grossman; Kevin M. Murphy
The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 3. (Jun., 1994), pp. 396-418.
Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8282%28199406%2984%3A3%3C396%3AAEAOCA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V
Abstract
To test a model of rational addiction, we examine whether lower past and future prices for cigarettes raise current cigarette consumption. The empirical results tend to support the implication of addictive behavior that cross price effects are negative and that long-run responses exceed short-run responses. Since the long-run price elasticity of demand is almost twice as large as the short-run price elasticity, the long-run increase in tax revenue from an increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes is considerably smaller than the short-run increase.
