IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/5104.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Axiomatic and Economic Approaches to Elementary Price Indexes

Author

Listed:
  • W. Erwin Diewert

Abstract

In a 1993 paper, Marshall Reinsdorf finds that the CPI components for food and gas were biased upward by about 2% and 1% per year respectively during the 1980s. He attributes this result to outlet substitution bias. The more recent paper by Reinsdorf and Moulton [1994] presents an alternative explanation for Reinsdorf's earlier results: when the BLS moved to probability sampling of prices in 1978, the micro price quotations were aggregated together using an index number formula that generates an upward bias. This paper further explores the central theoretical issue raised by the Reinsdorf-Moulton paper: the choice of an index number formula to aggregate prices at the finest level of disaggregation. This issue is examined from both axiomatic and economic perspectives. This paper also reviews the empirical literature on alternative elementary price indexes, and the recent literature on sources of bias in consumer price indexes. The findings of this paper in conjunction with the empirical work of Reinsdorf and Moulton yield a number of recommendations for Statistical Agencies which are outlined in the final section.

Suggested Citation

  • W. Erwin Diewert, 1995. "Axiomatic and Economic Approaches to Elementary Price Indexes," NBER Working Papers 5104, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5104
    Note: PR
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w5104.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    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 57-72, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Berndt, Ernst R & Griliches, Zvi & Rosett, Joshua G, 1993. "Auditing the Producer Price Index: Micro Evidence from Prescription Pharamceutical Preparations," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 11(3), pages 251-264, July.
    3. Sidney N. Afriat, 1972. "The Theory of International Comparisons of Real Income and Prices," NBER Chapters, in: International Comparisons of Prices and Output, pages 13-84, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Balk, Bert M, 1990. "On Calculating Cost-of-Living Index Numbers for Arbitrary Income Levels," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(1), pages 75-92, January.
    5. R. G. D. Allen, 1975. "Index Numbers in Theory and Practice," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-02312-7.
    6. Blackorby, Charles & Donaldson, David, 1980. "A Theoretical Treatment of Indices of Absolute Inequality," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 21(1), pages 107-136, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. W. Erwin Diewert, 1995. "Price and Volume Measures in the System of National Accounts," NBER Working Papers 5103, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Ernst R. Berndt & David M. Cutler & Richard Frank & Zvi Griliches & Joseph P. Newhouse & Jack E. Triplett, 2001. "Price Indexes for Medical Care Goods and Services -- An Overview of Measurement Issues," NBER Chapters, in: Medical Care Output and Productivity, pages 141-200, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. W. Erwin Diewert, 1980. "Aggregation Problems in the Measurement of Capital," NBER Chapters, in: The Measurement of Capital, pages 433-538, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Wynne, Mark A & Sigalla, Fiona D, 1996. "A Survey of Measurement Biases in Price Indexes," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 55-89, March.
    5. Marshall Reinsdorf & Jack E. Triplett, 2009. "A Review of Reviews: Ninety Years of Professional Thinking About the Consumer Price Index," NBER Chapters, in: Price Index Concepts and Measurement, pages 17-83, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Eirini Andriopoulou & Eleni Kanavitsa & Chrysa Leventi, 2020. "The distributional impact of recurrent immovable property taxation in Greece," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 44(4), pages 505-528.
    7. Gianluca Baio & Laura Magazzini & Antonio Nicita & Fabio Pammolli & Massimo Riccaboni, 2003. "Il Decreto DL 15/04/2002, n. 63 sul Contenimento della Spesa Farmaceutica - Impatto sull'Industria e Distorsioni nel Funzionamento del Mercato," Working Papers CERM 0-2003, Competitività, Regole, Mercati (CERM).
    8. Chakravarty, Satya R. & Sarkar, Palash, 2022. "A synthesis of local and effective tax progressivity measurement," MPRA Paper 115180, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Satya R. Chakravarty & Pietro Muliere, 2003. "Welfare indicators: A review and new perspectives. 1. Measurement of inequality," Metron - International Journal of Statistics, Dipartimento di Statistica, Probabilità e Statistiche Applicate - University of Rome, vol. 0(3), pages 457-497.
    10. Berndt Ernst R. & Cockburn Iain M. & Cocks Douglas L. & Epstein Arnold M. & Griliches Zvi, 1998. "Is Price Inflation Different for the Elderly? An Empirical Analysis of Prescription Drugs," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-45, January.
    11. Robert G. Chambers & John Quiggin, 2007. "Dual Approaches to the Analysis of Risk Aversion," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 74(294), pages 189-213, May.
    12. B. Balk & H. Lorenz & J. Whalley & V. Valli & M. Kräkel, 1999. "Book reviews," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 69(1), pages 96-111, February.
    13. Chambers, Robert G. & Chung, Y. & Fare, R., 1996. "Profit, Directional Distance Functions, and Nerlovian Efficiency," Working Papers 197837, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    14. Perloff, Jeffrey M. & Suslow, Valerie Y. & Seguin, Paul J., 1995. "Higher Prices from Entry: Pricing of Brand-Name Drugs," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt75g4k1nt, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    15. Sorger, Gerhard & Stark, Oded, 2013. "Income redistribution going awry: The reversal power of the concern for relative deprivation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-9.
    16. Amartya K. Sen, 1997. "From Income Inequality to Economic Inequality," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(2), pages 384-401, October.
    17. Patricia M. Danzon & Allison Percy, 1999. "The Effects of Price Regulation on Productivity in Pharmaceuticals," NBER Chapters, in: International and Interarea Comparisons of Income, Output, and Prices, pages 371-418, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Huerga, Javier & Steklacova, Lucia, 2008. "An application of index numbers theory to interest rates," Working Paper Series 939, European Central Bank.
    19. Aparicio, Juan & Zofío, José L., 2023. "Decomposing profit change: Konüs, Bennet and Luenberger indicators," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PB).
    20. Ruiz-Castillo, Javier & Vargas, Carmen, 1996. "A social welfare model for the evaluation of the spanish income tax system," UC3M Working papers. Economics 4100, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5104. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.