平新乔十八讲第十四讲《信息不对称、逆向选择与信号博弈》，第二节模型2：价格作为质量的信号，提到了这个模型:,根据其中的参考文献推测，这一效用函数最晚应该出现在Stiglitz （1977）“Bargains and Ripoffs: A model of monopolisticablly competitive price dispersion”, Review of Economic Studies (44):pp493-510.

That utility function is commonly used for vertical differentiation model in industrial organization:

Two common citations are:

GABSZEWICZ, J. and THISSE, J.-F., 1979, 'Price Competition, Quality and Income
Disparities', Journal of Economic Theory, 20, pp. 310-59.

SHAKED, A. and SUTTON, J., 1982, 'Relaxing Price Competition Through Product
Differentiation', Review of Economic Studies, XLIX, pp. 3-19

感谢你的回答，不过我看了下这两篇文章，和这个效用函数还不是一回事。这个效用函数假定的是偏好上的差异性，而这两篇文章都是假定偏好的同质的，收人是差异的

你的回答是对的。多谢！

Perhaps this paper would be what you are looking for

MUSSA, M. and ROSEN, S., 1978, 'Monopoly and Product Quality', Journal of Economic Theory, 18, pp. 301-317.

page 303:
Assuming that each consumer spends a small fraction of total expenditure on the type of goods in question and ignoring income effects, U may be approximated by
U = x + \theta * q
where \theta > 0 is a parameter that measures intensity of a consumer’s taste for quality.

and the example on page 304.