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Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices: their conceptual foundations

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Author Info
Erwin Diewert () (University of British Columbia - Department of Economics, 997-1873 East Mall, Vancouver ,BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.)

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Abstract

The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) is the single most important indicator of inflation used by the European Central Bank. Sections 2 to 4 of the paper look at the theory of inflation indexes that could be used as target indexes of inflation. A Consumer Price Index (CPI) emerges as perhaps the most useful target index. Four different approaches to index number theory are reviewed and the "best" index number formula from each perspective is determined. Section 6 looks at the methodology of the HICP in the light of the previous sections. Section 7 looks at some of the difficult measurement problems that must be addressed in a CPI or an HICP. These problems include the treatment of quality change, substitution or representativity bias, chained versus fixed base indexes, the choice of formula at the lowest level of aggregation and the treatment of owner occupied housing and seasonal commodities. JEL Classification: C43; D91; E31; E52; E58.

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Paper provided by European Central Bank in its series Working Paper Series with number 130.

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Length: 89 pages
Date of creation: Mar 2002
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Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20020130

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Related research
Keywords: Consumer price index; superlative indexes; quality change; substitution bias; representativity bias.;

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Robert B. Archibald, 1977. "On the Theory of Industrial Price Measurement Output Price Indexes," NBER Chapters, in: Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Volume 6, number 1, pages 64-81 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  2. Alchian, Armen A & Klein, Benjamin, 1973. "On a Correct Measure of Inflation," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 5(1), pages 173-91, Part I Fe. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. William Barnett, 2004. "Multilateral Aggregation-Theoretic Monetary Aggregation over Heterogeneous Countries," WORKING PAPERS SERIES IN THEORETICAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS 200413, University of Kansas, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2004. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Bart Hobijn & Federico Ravenna & Andrea Tambalotti, 2004. "Menu costs at work: restaurant prices and the introduction of the euro," Staff Reports 195, Federal Reserve Bank of New York. [Downloadable!]
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  3. W. Erwin Diewert & Alice O. Nakamura, 2009. "Accounting for housing in a CPI," Working Papers 09-4, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
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  4. Heather Anderson & Mardi Dungey & Denise R. Osborn & Farshid Vahid, 2007. "Constructing Historical Euro Area Data," CAMA Working Papers 2007-18, Australian National University, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. William A. Barnett, 2003. "Aggregation-Theoretic Monetary Aggregation over the Euro Area, when Countries are Heterogeneous," Macroeconomics 0309018, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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