Scanner data, time aggregation and the construction of price indexes

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Econometrics
Year: 2011
Volume: 161
Issue: 1
Pages: 24-35

Authors (3)

Ivancic, Lorraine (not in RePEc) Erwin Diewert, W. (not in RePEc) Fox, Kevin J. (UNSW Sydney)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

We examine the impact of time aggregation on price change estimates for 19 supermarket item categories using scanner data. Time aggregation choices lead to a difference in price change estimates for chained indexes which ranged from 0.28% to 29.73% for a superlative index and an incredible 14.88%-46,463.71% for a non-superlative index. Traditional index number theory appears to break down with weekly data, even for superlative indexes. Monthly and (in some cases) quarterly time aggregation were insufficient to eliminate downward drift in superlative indexes. To eliminate drift, a novel adaptation of a multilateral index number method is proposed.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:econom:v:161:y:2011:i:1:p:24-35
Journal Field
Econometrics
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25