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Could COVID‐19 Infect the Consumer Prices Index?

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  • Richard Blundell
  • Rachel Griffith
  • Peter Levell
  • Martin O'Connell

Abstract

The spread of COVID‐19 has led to sweeping changes in the way households work, spend their time and shop, resulting in different shopping patterns and rapid price changes in some goods. How will changes such as these be reflected in headline inflation measures such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI)? This paper discusses problems in interpreting the CPI as a measure of how the cost of living is changing during the lockdown.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Blundell & Rachel Griffith & Peter Levell & Martin O'Connell, 2020. "Could COVID‐19 Infect the Consumer Prices Index?," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 357-361, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:fistud:v:41:y:2020:i:2:p:357-361
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12229
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rachel Griffith & Ephraim Leibtag & Andrew Leicester & Aviv Nevo, 2009. "Consumer Shopping Behavior: How Much Do Consumers Save?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 23(2), pages 99-120, Spring.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tarkom, Augustine & Ujah, Nacasius U., 2023. "Inflation, interest rate, and firm efficiency: The impact of policy uncertainty," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    2. Jean Hindriks & Leonardo Madio & Valerio Serse, 2021. "Promotion Ban and Heterogeneity in Retail Prices during the Great Lockdown," CESifo Working Paper Series 9074, CESifo.
    3. Diosey Ramon Lugo-Morin, 2020. "Global Food Security in a Pandemic: The Case of the New Coronavirus (COVID-19)," World, MDPI, vol. 1(2), pages 1-20, September.
    4. So Kubota, 2021. "The macroeconomics of COVID-19 exit strategy: the case of Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 651-682, October.

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