The Programmable Calculator As A Tool For Price Analysis In Developing Countries

The objective of this study is to investigate the appropriateness of hand-held programmable calculators as a research tool for economists working on price policy issues in LDC's. The emphasis is on the use of programmable not for purposes of sophisticated analysis of large data sets, but rather for preliminary analysis of the sorts of data economists typically work with in the field. A few authors have attempted to develop and test research-oriented programs relating to particular fields of inquiry, but such efforts are not yet widespread. This study attempts to expand the scope of these preliminary efforts by exploring the possibility that programmable calculators might be adopted for use by the research economist working on price analysis issues. If hand-held calculators can be programmed to facilitate data transformation and to perform some of the functions normally performed by larger, slower and more costly computers, they will represent a valuable addition to the price analyst's tool kit. The procedure followed by the researcher was to write several data analysis programs and to test them on actual data samples in order to 1) develop useful software, and 2) weigh the advantages and disadvantages of working with the programmable calculator and thereby form conclusions about its potential usefulness as a field research tool.