scholarly journals Product Turnover and the Cost-of-Living Index: Quality versus Fashion Effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-347
Author(s):  
Kozo Ueda ◽  
Kota Watanabe ◽  
Tsutomu Watanabe

This paper evaluates the effects of product turnover on a welfare-based cost-of-living index by incorporating the quality effect and the fashion effect. Employing scanner data for Japan for the years 1988–2013, we find that (i) the price and quantity of a new product tend to be higher than those of its predecessor at its exit; (ii) a considerable fashion effect exists for the entire sample period, while the quality effect is declining over time; and (iii) the discrepancy between the cost-of-living index estimated based on our methodology and the price index constructed only from a matched sample is not large. (JEL C43, E31, L11, L15, L81)

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
James Hodgson

Summary A brief study of the new index called Consumer Price Index (C .P. I.) which will replace the Cost of Living Index (C. L. I.). In order to make such a change, specialists were called in to work on this for nearly three years. During the survey begun in 1948, the most modern methods of sampling were used. Instead of 1935-1939, the base period chosen was 1949. In view of the increasing importance of the index in the labour world, the author analyses briefly the changes made in the former index and emphasizes the problems involved in such a changeover.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 683-697
Author(s):  
Li-Chun Zhang ◽  
Ingvild Johansen ◽  
Ragnhild Nygaard

Abstract There is generally a need to deal with quality change and new goods in the consumer price index due to the underlying dynamic item universe. Traditionally axiomatic tests are defined for a fixed universe. We propose five tests explicitly formulated for a dynamic item universe, and motivate them both from the perspectives of a cost-of-goods index and a cost-of-living index. None of the indices that are currently available for making use of scanner data satisfies all the tests at the same time. The set of tests provides a rigorous diagnostic for whether an index is completely appropriate in a dynamic item universe, as well as pointing towards the directions of possible remedies. We thus outline a large index family that potentially can satisfy all the tests.


2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Hausman

Four sources of bias in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) have been identified. The most discussed is substitution bias, which creates a second order bias in the CPI. Three other changes besides prices changes create first order effects on a correctly measured cost of living index (COLI). I explain in this paper that a “pure price” based approach of surveying prices to estimate a COLI cannot succeed in solving the 3 problems of first order bias. I discuss economic and econometric approaches to measuring the first order bias effects as well as the availability of scanner data that would permit implementation of the techniques.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Kozlova

The purpose of this paper consists in the identification of historical development pattern of the cost-of-living index, which is a significant price indicator of macroeconomic process.Materials and methods. The analysis of the cost-of-living index conception in dynamics is realized on the base of the foreign (American and West European) periodical data, also on the base of bulletins of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The methods of research is an analysis of generated conceptions of the cost-of-living index, mathematically well-founded selection of possible formulae of cost-of-living index, empirical justification of hypotheses about the ratio of the cost-of-living index and other indexes, the numerical estimation of bias calculated in relation of the cost-of-living index.Results. The history of cost-of-living index development was divided into two stages, the boundary between two stages is 1945, when the price index, which was calculated before this moment and named the cost-of-living index, was renamed the consumer price index. The first stage (from the middle of 1910th to 1945) was described by the first accumulation of data and researches. The most part of researches consists of the survey papers and articles estimating the modern methods of cost-of living index assessment. In addition, there are some articles about the conception of cost-of-living index ant its formulae that are the base of researches after 1945. On the second stage when the investigations of cost-of-living index and consumer price index were divided, the most part of articles consists of the mathematical selection and proofs concerning the detection of the sphere of determinant to cost-of-living index of indicators (income and expenditure, used technology, family structure), also concerning the inclusion and connection of cost-of-living index in the context of economics. Empirical works of the second stage confirm some theoretical ideas on the base of national statistics.Conclusion. The temporal cost-of-living index is the significant indicator not only of price process in the national economy, also dynamics marker of the standard of living. The effort to attract the attention to cost-of-living index will allow methodically enriching the economic researches and generating the ways of this indicator development. Among the ways it needs to mark out the calculating “alternative” consumer price indexes with due regard to approximation to cost-of-living index, realization of econometric investigation on the base of Russian statistics and intensification of the theoretical analysis on the base of conception of the true cost-of-living index by A. Konüs.


Author(s):  
Khee Giap Tan ◽  
Nguyen Trieu Duong Luu ◽  
Le Phuong Anh Nguyen

Purpose Cost of living is an important consideration for the decision-making of expatriates and investment decisions of businesses. As competition between cities for talent and capital becomes global instead of national, the need for timely and internationally comparable information on global cities’ cost of living increases. While commercial research houses frequently publish cost of living surveys, these reports can be lacking in terms of scientific rigour. In this context, this paper aims to contribute to the literature by formulating a comprehensive and rigorous methodology to compare the cost of living for expatriates in 103 world’s major cities. Design/methodology/approach A cost of living index for expatriates composed of the ten consumption categories is constructed. The results from the study covers a study period from 2005 to 2014 in 103 cities. More than 280 individual prices of 165 goods and services have been compiled for each city in the calculation of the cost of living index for expatriates. New York has been chosen as the base city for the study, with other cities being benchmarked against it. A larger cost of living index for expatriates implies that the city is more expensive for expatriates to live in and vice versa. Findings While the authors generate the cost of living rankings for expatriates for 103 cities worldwide, in this paper, the authors focus on five key cities, namely, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Zurich, as they are global financial centres. In 2013, the latest year for which data are available, Zurich was the most expensive for expatriates among the five cities, followed by Singapore, Tokyo, London and Hong Kong. These results pertain to the cost of living for expatriates, and cities compare very differently in terms of cost of living for ordinary residents, as ordinary residents follow different consumption patterns from expatriates. Originality/value Cost of living in the destination city is a major consideration for professionals who look to relocate, and organisations factor such calculations in their decisions to post employees overseas and design commensurate compensation packages. This paper develops a comprehensive and rigorous methodology for measuring and comparing cost of living for expatriates around the world. The value-addition lies in the fact that the authors are able to differentiate between expatriates and ordinary residents, which has not been done in the existing literature. They use higher quality data and generate an index that is not sensitive to the choice of base city.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-45
Author(s):  
Ray Miller ◽  
Neha Bairoliya

Abstract We estimate the distribution of well-being among the older U.S. population using an expected utility framework that incorporates differences in consumption, leisure, health, and mortality. We find large disparities in welfare that have increased over time. Incorporating the cost of living with poor health into elderly welfare substantially increases the overall inequality. Disparity measures based on cross-sectional income or consumption underestimate the growth in aggregate welfare inequality. Moreover, health is a better indicator of an individual's relative welfare position than income or consumption.


1941 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kaldor

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document