The true index of cost of living under general equilibrium: The numéraire matters

C-Tier
Journal: Economics Letters
Year: 2018
Volume: 173
Issue: C
Pages: 69-72

Authors (3)

Guerra, Ana-Isabel (not in RePEc) Manresa, Antonio (not in RePEc) Sancho, Ferran (Barcelona School of Economics ...)

Score contribution per author:

0.335 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The evaluation of welfare effects should be unambiguous. We show that the Konüs true index of cost of living is numéraire dependent in general equilibrium. This may lead to ambiguous, even contradictory, interpretations of welfare results. To correct this problematic interpretational situation, we propose a normalization of the standard Konüs index using an endogenously determined price index. We also provide a simplified expression of the index for the special case of homothetic utilities, which is especially relevant given their widespread use in numerical general equilibrium.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecolet:v:173:y:2018:i:c:p:69-72
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29