恩格尔系数失灵的若干影响因素分析

Analysis of Several Factors Which Cause Engel’s Law Failure

文章所探讨的恩格尔系数失灵,是指恩格尔系数在中国现实情况下被低估而不能正常反映现实经济情况的现象。文章认为,导致恩格尔系数失灵的因素包括房地产价格上升、社会保障制度不健全、收入分配差距扩大、食品安全问题等,这些因素都会降低居民食物的显性支出。文章提出,恩格尔系数的划分标准是居民生活质量重要的评判依据,但不是惟一的评判依据。在实际应用中,恩格尔系数须结合GDP、人均GDP、基尼系数等指标一同搭配使用,才能更好的作为测定居民生活水平的依据。政府应通过宏观经济政策的规制,提高恩格尔系数对现实经济运行的解释力,弱化并消除恩格尔系数失灵的现象。

Engel＇ s Law failure mentioned in this paper means Engel＇s Law has been underestimated under the circumstance of present situation in China and can not reflect the real economy situation. This paper argues that Engel＇ s Law failure can caused by several factors, such as price of real estate rising, social security system not perfect, gap of income distribution ex- panding, poor food quality, and these factors will reduce the real food expenditures of residents. This paper puts fbrward that Engel＇ s Law is an important judging indicator to measure resident＇ s Living standards hut not the only one, it should be combined with other indicators in practice, such as GDP, per capita GDP, Gini Coefficient, so that can play its role better. And government should improve the explanatory power of Engel＇ s Law to real economy through macroeconomic policies regulaion, at last eliminate the phenomenon of Engel＇ s Law failure.