Empirical studies of consumer and government purchase decisions

Departures from the classical model for demand in microeconomic theory create a new set of interesting questions that go beyond the traditional topics, such as how demand changes as a result of changing income or prices. This thesis answers three of these questions by empirically analyzing purchase decisions. Does the source of income matter for consumer purchase decisions? The answer to this question is indeed yes. Some consumers use open-loop gift certificates differently than cash-gifts or regular income. What kind of fee structures do clients prefer when selecting a lawyer by way of an auction? The distinguishing feature of this auction is that lawyers may submit bids with any fee arrangement they prefer. Hourly fee bids are a client's least-preferred choice. Should public organizations provide services themselves or buy them on the market? Buying from private firms turns out to be the cost-efficient option for the provision of waste collection services of Dutch municipalities.