Do Consumers Distinguish Fixed Cost from Variable Cost? “Schmeduling" in Two-Part Tariffs in Energy
A central assumption in economics is that consumers properly distinguish fixed cost from variable cost. This assumption is fundamental to various economic theories, including optimal taxation, redistribution, and price discrimination. Using a quasi-experiment in heating price reform in China, we find empirical evidence that is inconsistent with this conventional assumption and more consistent with the “schmeduling” model in Liebman and Zeckhauser (2004). As we demonstrate the policy implications for two-part energy tariffs, this consumer behavior makes fixed cost directly relevant to the perceived relative prices of goods, and therefore alters the welfare implications of price, tax, and subsidy designs.
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Copy CitationKoichiro Ito and Shuang Zhang, "Do Consumers Distinguish Fixed Cost from Variable Cost? “Schmeduling" in Two-Part Tariffs in Energy," NBER Working Paper 26853 (2020), https://doi.org/10.3386/w26853.Download Citation
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Non-Technical Summaries
- Residents of Tianjin, China, who opted to shift from flat-rate to metered, use-based heating pricing saved money and conserved heat....
Published Versions
Koichiro Ito & Shuang Zhang, 2025. "Do Consumers Distinguish Fixed Cost from Variable Cost? "Schmeduling" in Two-Part Tariffs in Energy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 194-223, May, DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230613. citation courtesy of 
Koichiro Ito & Shuang Zhang, 2025. "Do Consumers Distinguish Fixed Cost from Variable Cost? “Schmeduling” in Two-Part Tariffs in Energy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, vol 17(2), pages 194-223.
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