Quality Change in Price Indexes
梳理了价格指数中质量变化的测量问题，回顾相关理论，介绍美国劳工统计局处理质量变化的方法，并举例说明实践中的测量难题，最后提出解决该领域巨大不确定性的方案。
Price indexes provide the fundamental building blocks for measuring the general price level along with real incomes and real output. But the most important single price index for the United States, the CPI, has been criticized as significantly underestimating the pace of quality change. This paper sketches the issues involved in the measurement of quality change in price indexes. It reviews the theory of quality change, discusses how the Bureau of Labor Statistics deals with quality change, and provides examples of measurement issues in practice. It concludes with a proposal to resolve the massive uncertainties in this area.