Measuring Quality Growth and Studying Stockout Behavior Using Micro CPI Data

使用微观 CPI 数据衡量质量增长并研究缺货行为

• 批准号: 0241623
• 负责人: Mark Bils
• 金额: $ 12.82万
• 依托单位: University of Rochester
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-03-01 至 2006-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0241623&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Measuring; Quality; Growth; Studying; Stockout

This research exploits confidential Consumer Price Index (CPI) micro data, to study two issues---quality improvements for consumer goods and movements in firms' marginal costs and price markups due to temporary product stockouts over market fluctuations. The first part of the research studies the sensitivity of consumer price inflation and, quality growth, to treatment of the price increases associated with the introduction of new models of consumer durables. The BLS' resampling method can be exploited to gain information on how quantities sold change with model turnovers. This information is then used to gauge how much of price increases for new goods should be attributed to quality improvements. The second part of the research shows how information on temporary product stockouts, provide more direct information on how firms' cost and prices behave over the market cycle than existing methods. The stockout data are available for a much wider and more disaggregate set of goods than data on finished inventories. The research shows how price markups can either be attributed to price stickiness or active price adjustments by sellers. Results of this research have important policy implications. The ability to break price increases between quality improvements and consumer price inflation is central to the goals of collecting information on prices. The results can directly inform measurement of price increases used to judge changes in standards of living. The results can yield suggestions for revisions of BLS methods or suggestions for additional statistics the BLS could make available. The results of the research could also have an effect on how inflation should be measured. This could affect the determination of cost living adjustments in wage contracts, social security payments, insurance, and ultimately the rate of inflation itself.

这项研究利用机密的消费者价格指数（CPI）微观数据来研究两个问题：消费品质量的提高以及由于市场波动造成的暂时产品缺货导致的企业边际成本和价格上涨的变动。该研究的第一部分研究了消费者价格通胀和质量增长对处理与引入新的耐用消费品型号相关的价格上涨的敏感性。可以利用劳工统计局的重采样方法来获取有关销售数量如何随模型周转而变化的信息。然后，该信息用于衡量新商品的价格上涨有多少应归因于质量改进。研究的第二部分表明，与现有方法相比，有关临时产品缺货的信息如何提供有关企业成本和价格在市场周期中如何表现的更直接的信息。与成品库存数据相比，缺货数据适用于更广泛、更分散的商品组。研究表明，价格上涨可以归因于价格粘性或卖家的主动价格调整。这项研究的结果具有重要的政策意义。打破质量改进和消费者价格通胀之间的价格上涨的能力是收集价格信息目标的核心。结果可以直接为用于判断生活水平变化的价格上涨衡量提供依据。结果可以为 BLS 方法的修订提供建议，或者为 BLS 可以提供的其他统计数据提供建议。研究结果也可能对如何衡量通胀产生影响。 这可能会影响工资合同、社会保障支付、保险中生活成本调整的确定，并最终影响通货膨胀率本身。