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CPI Mismeasurements and Their Impacts on Economic Management in Korea

Author

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  • Chul Chung

    (Korea International Trade Association, Washington, DC 20036 USA and Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, Seoul 137-747, Korea.)

  • John Gibson

    (Department of Economics, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand.)

  • Bonggeun Kim

    (Department of Economics, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-no, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-746, Korea.)

Abstract

We estimate the consumer price index (CPI) bias in Korea by employing the approach of Engel's Law as suggested by Hamilton (2001). Using Korean panel data (Korean Labor and Income Panel Study) and following Hamilton's model with a non-linear specification correction, our estimation result shows that the CPI bias over the sample period (2000-05) averaged at least 0.7 percent annually, which implies that about 21 percent of the inflation rate during the sample period can be attributed to the bias. This CPI bias has caused a substantial understatement of the growth in real GDP and contributes to excessive transfers from younger taxpayers to the elderly through indexed pension payments. We discuss the implications of the CPI bias for economic management and policies in Korea. (c) 2010 The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Chul Chung & John Gibson & Bonggeun Kim, 2010. "CPI Mismeasurements and Their Impacts on Economic Management in Korea," Asian Economic Papers, MIT Press, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, Winter/Sp.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:asiaec:v:9:y:2010:i:1:p:1-15
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    Cited by:

    1. Susan Olivia & John Gibson, 2013. "Using Engel curves to measure CPI bias for Indonesia," Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(1), pages 85-101, April.
    2. Emi Nakamura & Jón Steinsson & Miao Liu, 2016. "Are Chinese Growth and Inflation Too Smooth? Evidence from Engel Curves," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(3), pages 113-144, July.
    3. Ingvild Almås & Timothy K.M. Beatty & Thomas F. Crossley, 2018. "Lost in Translation: What do Engel Curves Tell us about the Cost of Living?," CESifo Working Paper Series 6886, CESifo.
    4. Almås, Ingvild & Johnsen, Åshild Auglænd, 2012. "The cost of living in China: Implications for inequality and poverty," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 21/2012, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    5. Andrew Dabalen & Isis Gaddis & Nga Thi Viet Nguyen, 2020. "CPI Bias and its Implications for Poverty Reduction in Africa," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 18(1), pages 13-44, March.
    6. Martina Bazzoli & Paolo Di Caro & Franceso Figari & Carlo V. Fiorio & Marco Manzo, 2020. "Size, heterogeneity and distributional effects of self-employment income tax evasion in Italy," Working Papers wp2020-8, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Department of Finance.
    7. Farrokhi, Farid & Jinkins, David & Xiang, Chong, 2022. "Gains from Trade and the Food Engel Curve," Working Papers 15-2022, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Economics.
    8. Gaddis,Isis, 2016. "Prices for poverty analysis in Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7652, The World Bank.
    9. Figari, Francesco & Bazzoli, Martina & Di Caro, Paolo & V. Fiorio, Carlo & Manzo, Marco, 2020. "Size, heterogeneity and distributional effects of self-employment income tax evasion in Italy," EUROMOD Working Papers EM18/20, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    10. Ingvild Almås & Anders Kjelsrud & Rohini Somanathan, 2019. "A Behavior‐Based Approach to the Estimation of Poverty in India," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 121(1), pages 182-224, January.
    11. Filho, Irineu de Carvalho & Chamon, Marcos, 2012. "The myth of post-reform income stagnation: Evidence from Brazil and Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 368-386.
    12. HIGA, Kazuhito & 比嘉, 一仁, 2014. "Estimating Upward Bias of Japanese Consumer Price Index Using Engel's Law," Discussion Papers 2014-21, Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University.
    13. Farrokhi, Farid & Jinkins, David Carson & Xiang, Chong, 2022. "Gains from Trade and the Food Engel Curve," IZA Discussion Papers 15674, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Kazuhito Higa, 2013. "Estimating Upward Bias in the Japanese CPI Using Engel's Law," Global COE Hi-Stat Discussion Paper Series gd12-295, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    15. Ingvild Almas & Ashild Johnsen, 2018. "The cost of a growth miracle - reassessing price and poverty trends in China," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 30, pages 239-264, October.

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