Durable goods, price indexes and quality change: an application to automobile prices in Italy, 1988-1998.

The paper analyzes the problems of measurement of durable consumer prices posed by quality change. Theoretical price indexes are defined and used to analyze several empirical methods of estimation of quality adjusted price indexes. The paper shows that hedonic regressions and other quality adjustment methods commonly used by statistical agencies do not always provide reliable price estimators. The analysis suggests that the application of methods of measurement based on chain indexes may remove the measurement problems associated with quality change. The paper includes an application of the theory to the analysis of automobile prices in Italy during the period 1988-1998.durable goods, quality change, hedonic regressions, elementary index numbers

PRICES, PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION AND QUALITY MEASUREMENT: A COMPARISON BETWEEN HEDONIC AND MATCHED MODEL METHODS

The paper provides an analysis of the problems of construction of quality-adjusted price indexes within the framework of the theory of product differentiation. In the general case of price-making behaviour on the part of firms, hedonic regressions are defined on the basis of reduced forms of the equation relating equilibrium prices to product characteristics. The paper considers the reduced form given by the marginal cost function and shows that the Laspeyres hedonic price index provides a lower bound to the quality-adjusted rate of price change while the Paasche hedonic price index provides an upper bound to the quality-adjusted rate of price change. The properties of hedonic price indexes are compared with those of matched model indexes. The theory is applied to the study of personal computer prices in Italy during the 1995-2000 period.discrete choice, price indexes, product quality, personal computer

Revisiting poverty and welfare dominance

The paper reviews the theory of the measurement of poverty. The axiomatic theory is described and the axiomatic properties of poverty indexes are related to assumptions on the functional form of the poverty index function. The notion of poverty ordering is then introduced and followed by a review of the relations between the poverty orderings than can be defined from classes of poverty index functions with well-defined functional form properties and the notions of first order and second order stochastic dominance. The analysis applies the results used in the theory of economic inequality to study the relationship between welfare orderings and Lorenz dominance. The theory is used to analyze poverty patterns in Italy in 1997-2005.economic inequality, poverty, poverty ordering, stochastic dominance

Trade and wage inequality, mirage or reality?

In the 2X2X2 Heckscher-Ohlin model there exists a one to one relation between relative good prices and relative factor prices. A change in the relative price of one good changes the relative price of the factor used intensively in the production of the good in the same direction. We review this relation in the context of an analysis of European wage inequality. During the 1980-2000 period wage inequality in Europe increased. However, this movement is not explained by changes in wage differentials by skill level. The education and experience wage premiums remained relatively constant over the sample period. The largest fraction of the increase in wage inequality is accounted by residual inequality

Durable goods, price indexes and quality change: an application to automobile prices in Italy, 1988-1998

The paper analyzes the problems of measurement of durable consumer prices posed by quality change. Theoretical price indexes are defined and used to analyze several empirical methods of estimation of quality adjusted price indexes. The paper shows that hedonic regressions and other quality adjustment methods commonly used by statistical agencies do not always provide reliable price estimators. The analysis suggests that the application of methods of measurement based on chain indexes may remove the measurement problems associated with quality change. The paper includes an application of the theory to the analysis of automobile prices in Italy during the period 1988-199

Modeling the Effects of Financial Constraints on Firm’s Investment

The paper develops a model of firm´s investment under uncertainty with financial market imperfections and analyzes the effects of financial constraints on firm´s investment. Firm´s investment is an increasing function of the firm´s marginal q, however the investment function is characterized by an upper bound that depends on the firm´s borrowing capabilities. The firm´s marginal q is the sum of the expected value of the marginal profitability of the physical capital stock and of a positive external finance premium. In the presence of financial market imperfections the firm forms expectations about future financial conditions and these expectations raise the firm´s current marginal q. Similarly, the shadow price of firm´s debt is the sum of the interest cost of debt repayment and of a provision for external finance that depends on the firm´s expectations over future financial conditions

Modeling the Effects of Financial Constraints on Firm´s Investment

The paper develops a model of firm´s investment under uncertainty with financial market imperfections and analyzes the effects of financial constraints on firm´s investment. Firm´s investment is an increasing function of the firm´s marginal q, however the investment function is characterized by an upper bound that depends on the firm´s borrowing capabilities. The firm´s marginal q is the sum of the expected value of the marginal profitability of the physical capital stock and of a positive external finance premium. In the presence of financial market imperfections the firm forms expectations about future financial conditions and these expectations raise the firm´s current marginal q. Similarly, the shadow price of firm´s debt is the sum of the interest cost of debt repayment and of a provision for external finance that depends on the firm´s expectations over future financial conditions. --firm´s investment,financial constraints,Tobin´s marginal q,uncertainty

Modeling the Effects of Financial Constraints on Firm's Investment

The paper develops a model of firm´s investment under uncertainty with financial market imperfections and analyzes the effects of financial constraints on firm´s investment. Firm´s investment is an increasing function of the firm´s marginal q, however the investment function is characterized by an upper bound that depends on the firm´s borrowing capabilities. The firm´s marginal q is the sum of the expected value of the marginal profitability of the physical capital stock and of a positive external finance premium. In the presence of financial market imperfections the firm forms expectations about future financial conditions and these expectations raise the firm´s current marginal q. Similarly, the shadow price of firm´s debt is the sum of the interest cost of debt repayment and of a provision for external finance that depends on the firm´s expectations over future financial conditions. --Firm´s investment,financial constraints,Tobin´s marginal q,uncertainty