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Quantifying Quality Growth

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Author Info
Mark Bils
Peter J. Klenow

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Abstract

We introduce an instrumental variables approach to estimate the importance of unmeasured quality growth for a set of 66 durable consumer goods. Our instrument is based on predicting which of these 66 goods will display rapid quality growth. Using pooled cross- relatively sections of households in the 1980 through 1996 U.S. Consumer Expenditure Surveys, we estimate quality Engel curves' for 66 durable consumer goods based on the extent richer households pay more for a good, conditional on purchasing. We use the slopes of these curves to predict the rate of quality-upgrading. Just as if households are ascending these quality Engel curves over time, we find that the average price paid rises faster for goods with steeper quality slopes. BLS prices likewise increase more quickly for goods with steeper quality slopes, suggesting the BLS does not fully net out the impact of quality-upgrading on prices paid. We estimate that quality growth averages about 3.7% per year for our goods, with about 60% of this, or 2.2% per year, showing up as higher inflation rather than higher real growth.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7695.

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Date of creation: May 2000
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7695

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
O33 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
O47 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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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.:
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    Other versions:
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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. Pablo D. Fajgelbaum & Gene M. Grossman & Elhanan Helpman, 2009. "Income Distribution, Product Quality, and International Trade," NBER Working Papers 15329, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Kornprobst, Wolfgang, 2006. "Das Romer-Modell mit qualitätsverbesserndem technischen Fortschritt," Regensburger Diskussionsbeiträge zur Wirtschaftswissenschaft 412, University of Regensburg, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Alex Coad, 2009. "On the distribution of product price and quality," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 589-604, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Jan Hanousek & Randall K. Filer, 2004. "Consumers' Opinion of Inflation Bias Due to Quality Improvements," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 2004-681, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Marcos Chamon & Irineu E. Carvalho Filho, 2008. "The Myth of Post-Reform Income Stagnation: Evidence from Brazil and Mexico," IMF Working Papers 08/197, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  6. Svedberg, Peter & Tilton, John, 2003. "The Real Real Price of Nonrenewable Resources: Copper 1870-2000," Seminar Papers 723, Stockholm University, Institute for International Economic Studies. [Downloadable!]
  7. Rosario Crinò & Paolo Epifani, 2009. "Export Intensity and Productivity," Development Working Papers 271, Centro Studi Luca d\'Agliano, University of Milano. [Downloadable!]
  8. Mauro Caminati, 2004. "Variety, Consumption and Growth," Department of Economics University of Siena 431, Department of Economics, University of Siena. [Downloadable!]
  9. Nguyen, Thang, 2005. "Separating Productivity and Quality Effects from Relative Prices," MPRA Paper 225, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 01 Nov 2006. [Downloadable!]
  10. Mark A. Wynne, 2005. "An estimate of the measurement bias in the HICP," Working Papers 05-09, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. [Downloadable!]
  11. Lewis Evans and Patrick Hughes, 2003. "Competition Policy in Small Distant Open Economies: Some Lessons from the Economics Literature," Treasury Working Paper Series 03/31, New Zealand Treasury. [Downloadable!]
  12. Linnea Polgreen & Pedro Silos, 2008. "Capital-Skill Complementarity and Inequality: A Sensitivity Analysis," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(2), pages 302-313, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Andreas Hornstein & Per Krusell, 2000. "The IT revolution : is it evident in the productivity numbers?," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, issue Fall, pages 49-78. [Downloadable!]
  14. Jakob B. Madsen, . "The Anatomy of Growth in the OECD since 1870: the Transformation from the Post-Malthusian Growth Regime to the Modern Growth Epoch," Monash Economics Working Papers 2009-14, Monash University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  15. Ana Aizcorbe, 2005. "Why Are Semiconductor Price Indexes Falling So Fast?: Industry Estimates and Implications for Productivity Measurement," BEA Working Papers 0026, Bureau of Economic Analysis. [Downloadable!]
  16. Emi Nakamura & Jón Steinsson, 2009. "Lost in Transit: Product Replacement Bias and Pricing to Market," NBER Working Papers 15359, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Bart Hobijn, 2002. "On both sides of the quality bias in price indexes," Staff Reports 157, Federal Reserve Bank of New York. [Downloadable!]
  18. Karen Kopecky, 2005. "The Trend in Retirement," Economie d'Avant Garde Research Reports 12, Economie d'Avant Garde. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  19. Marcos Chamon & Irineu de Carvalho Filho, 2006. "The Myth of Post-Reform Income Stagnation in Brazil," IMF Working Papers 06/275, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  20. Yo Chul Choi & David Hummels & Chong Xiang, 2006. "Explaining Import Variety and Quality: The Role of the Income Distribution," NBER Working Papers 12531, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Juan Carlos Hallak, 2006. "A Product-Quality View of the Linder Hypothesis," NBER Working Papers 12712, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Svedberg, Peter, 2003. "World Income Distribution: Which Way?," Seminar Papers 724, Stockholm University, Institute for International Economic Studies. [Downloadable!]
  23. David E. Lebow & Jeremy B. Rudd, 2001. "Measurement error in the consumer price index: where do we stand?," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2001-61, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
  24. Katherine M. Sauer, 2008. "The quality of parallel imports," Economics Bulletin, Economics Bulletin, vol. 6(44), pages 1-10. [Downloadable!]
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