Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T16:37:16.364Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

HIGH INFLATION, SEASONAL COMMODITIES, AND ANNUAL INDEX NUMBERS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 1998

W. Erwin Diewert
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia

Abstract

This paper studies the problems of measuring economic growth under conditions of high inflation. Traditional bilateral index number theory implicitly assumes that variations in the price of a commodity within a period can be ignored. To justify this assumption under conditions of high inflation, the accounting period must be shortened to a quarter, a month, or possibly a week. However, once the accounting period is less than a year, the problem of seasonal commodities is encountered; i.e., in some subannual periods, many seasonal commodities will be unavailable and hence the usual bilateral index number theory cannot be applied. The paper systematically reviews the problems of index number construction when there are seasonal commodities and high inflation. Various index number formulas are justified from the viewpoint of the economic approach to index number theory by making separability assumptions on consumers' intertemporal preferences. We find that accurate economic measurement under conditions of high inflation is very complex.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)