Inflation, price dispersion, and market structure

B-Tier
Journal: European Economic Review
Year: 2008
Volume: 52
Issue: 7
Pages: 1187-1208

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

In this paper, we use a novel data set containing prices from bazaars, convenience stores, and supermarkets in Istanbul to re-examine the relationship between price dispersion and inflation. Although existing evidence is mixed, we find positive and significant relationships between dispersion, on the one hand, and lagged dispersion and unexpected product-specific inflation on the other. We also find evidence that dispersion is initially decreasing in anticipated aggregate inflation but is eventually increasing. Finally, average price duration and dispersion are lowest in the bazaar. This is intuitive, since menu and search costs should be minimal in that market structure.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:eecrev:v:52:y:2008:i:7:p:1187-1208
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25