Measuring “the” purchasing power

Mesurer « le » pouvoir d'achat

François Geerolf

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Abstract: This article offers a critical analysis of the official measurement of purchasing power in France. While the statistics published by Insee report an increase in "purchasing power" despite the return of inflation since 2021, this finding appears at odds with households' lived experience. The article argues that this divergence stems from methodological choices specific to France in the very definition of purchasing power, affecting both the numerator (gross disposable income) and the denominator (the consumption deflator). The consumption deflator tends to underestimate inflation because of its scope - most notably the exclusion of housing investment - its calculation method (a Paasche index), and the extensive use of quality adjustments by international comparison. Symmetrically, aggregate income overstates the evolution of resources effectively received by the median household, in particular because capital income is highly concentrated at the top of the distribution. The article therefore advocates a plurality of indicators for purchasing power - for example, net wages deflated by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), or gross disposable income excluding capital income - in order to better inform public debate and strengthen the credibility of official statistics.

Keywords: Official statistics; Political economy; Public debate; Income distribution; Income inequality; Median income; Purchasing power; Inflation; Statistical measurement; Consumer Price Index (CPI); Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP); Consumption deflator; Paasche index; Quality adjustment; Gross disposable income; Capital income; Statistique publique; Distribution des revenus; Inégalités de revenu; Revenus du capital; Revenu médian; Revenu disponible brut; Ajustements qualité; Débat public; Déflateur de la consommation; Indice des prix à la consommation harmonisé (IPCH); Indice des prix à la consommation (IPC); Mesure statistique; Pouvoir d’achat; Indice de Paasche; Économie politique. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-07-09
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05505752v1
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Published in 2024

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Working Paper: Measuring “the” purchasing power (2024)
Working Paper: Measuring “the” purchasing power (2024)
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