IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/swe/wpaper/2010-25.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Improving International Comparisons of Real Output: The ICP 2005 Benchmark and its Implications for China

Author

Listed:
  • Robert J. Hill

    (Department of Economics, University of Graz)

  • Iqbal Syed

    (School of Economics, The University of New South Wales)

Abstract

The latest round of the International Comparisons Program (ICP 2005) compares the purchasing power of currencies and real output of 146 countries. Using price quote data from nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region, we consider ways of improving the methods used in ICP 2005 and new applications of these methods (e.g., for calculating rural-urban price differentials). The most striking result in ICP 2005 was that China came out 40 percent smaller than previously thought. We also evaluate the extent to which this finding can be attributed to excessive sampling of prices in China from urban areas or of unrepresentative products.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert J. Hill & Iqbal Syed, 2010. "Improving International Comparisons of Real Output: The ICP 2005 Benchmark and its Implications for China," Discussion Papers 2010-25, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    • Handle: RePEc:swe:wpaper:2010-25
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://research.economics.unsw.edu.au/RePEc/papers/2010-25.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2008. "Global Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures : 2005 International Comparison Program," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 21558.
    2. Ravallion, Martin & van de Walle, Dominique, 1991. "Urban-rural cost-of-living differentials in a developing economy," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 113-127, January.
    3. Kennedy, Peter E, 1981. "Estimation with Correctly Interpreted Dummy Variables in Semilogarithmic Equations [The Interpretation of Dummy Variables in Semilogarithmic Equations]," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(4), pages 801-801, September.
    4. Shaohua Chen & Martin Ravallion, 2010. "The Developing World is Poorer than We Thought, But No Less Successful in the Fight Against Poverty," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 125(4), pages 1577-1625.
    5. World Bank, 2007. "World Development Indicators 2007," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 8150.
    6. J. R. Cuthbert & M. Cuthbert, 1988. "On Aggregation Methods of Purchasing Power Parities," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 56, OECD Publishing.
    7. Hill, Robert J. & Hill, T. Peter, 2009. "Recent Developments In The International Comparison Of Prices And Real Output," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(S2), pages 194-217, September.
    8. Robert Summers, 1973. "International Price Comparisons Based Upon Incomplete Data," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 19(1), pages 1-16, March.
    9. repec:pri:rpdevs:understanding_ppps_complete_with_abstract_14nov08.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Angus Deaton & Alan Heston, 2010. "Understanding PPPs and PPP-Based National Accounts," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 1-35, October.
    11. repec:pri:rpdevs:understanding_ppps_complete_with_abstract_14nov08 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Brandt, Loren & Holz, Carsten A, 2006. "Spatial Price Differences in China: Estimates and Implications," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55(1), pages 43-86, October.
    13. Breusch, T S & Pagan, A R, 1979. "A Simple Test for Heteroscedasticity and Random Coefficient Variation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(5), pages 1287-1294, September.
    14. Gong, Cathy Honge & Meng, Xin, 2008. "Regional Price Differences in Urban China 1986-2001: Estimation and Implication," IZA Discussion Papers 3621, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Mick Silver, 2009. "The Hedonic Country Product Dummy Method and Quality Adjustments for Purchasing Power Parity Calculations," IMF Working Papers 2009/271, International Monetary Fund.
    16. Robert J. Hill, 1999. "Comparing Price Levels across Countries Using Minimum-Spanning Trees," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 81(1), pages 135-142, February.
    17. Abuzar Asra, 1999. "Urban-Rural Differences in Costs of Living and Their Impact on Poverty Measures," Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 51-69.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Almås, Ingvild & Johnsen, Åshild Auglænd, 2012. "The cost of living in China: Implications for inequality and poverty," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 21/2012, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    2. Almås, Ingvild & Johnsen, Åshild Auglænd & Kotsadam, Andreaa, 2014. "Poverty in China Seen from Outer Space," Memorandum 11/2014, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    3. Almås, Ingvild & Grewal, Mandeep & Hvide, Marielle & Ugurlu, Serhat, 2017. "The PPP approach revisited: A study of RMB valuation against the USD," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 18-38.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:grz:wpaper:2012-07 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Robert J. Hill & Iqbal A. Syed, 2015. "Improving International Comparisons of Prices at Basic Heading Level: An Application to the Asia-Pacific Region," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 61(3), pages 515-539, September.
    3. Menggen Chen, 2021. "Sub-National PPPs Based on House and Real Income Disparity across China: a Distinctive Spatial Deflator," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 187-219, February.
    4. Sebastian Weinand, 2022. "Measuring spatial price differentials at the basic heading level: a comparison of stochastic index number methods," AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis, Springer;German Statistical Society, vol. 106(1), pages 117-143, March.
    5. Weinand, Sebastian, 2020. "Measuring spatial price differentials: A comparison of stochastic index number methods," Discussion Papers 12/2020, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    6. Angus Deaton & Alan Heston, 2010. "Understanding PPPs and PPP-Based National Accounts," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 1-35, October.
    7. Ravallion, Martin, 2018. "An exploration of the changes in the international comparison program’s global economic landscape," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 201-216.
    8. Ingvild Almas & Ashild Johnsen, 2018. "The cost of a growth miracle - reassessing price and poverty trends in China," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 30, pages 239-264, October.
    9. Ludwig Auer, 2012. "Räumliche Preisvergleiche: Aggregationskonzepte und Forschungsperspektiven," AStA Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv, Springer;Deutsche Statistische Gesellschaft - German Statistical Society, vol. 6(1), pages 27-56, December.
    10. Robert Inklaar & D. S. Prasada Rao, 2017. "Cross-Country Income Levels over Time: Did the Developing World Suddenly Become Much Richer?," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(1), pages 265-290, January.
    11. Barnett, William A. & Erwin Diewert, W. & Zellner, Arnold, 2011. "Introduction to measurement with theory," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 161(1), pages 1-5, March.
    12. Alicia Gómez-Tello & Alfonso Díez-Minguela & Julio Martinez-Galarraga & Daniel A. Tirado, 2019. "Regional prices in early twentieth-century Spain: a country-product-dummy approach," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 13(2), pages 245-276, May.
    13. Menggen Chen & Yan Wang & D. S. Prasada Rao, 2020. "Measuring the spatial price differences in China with regional price parity methods," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 1103-1146, April.
    14. Almås, Ingvild & Johnsen, Åshild Auglænd, 2012. "The cost of living in China: Implications for inequality and poverty," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 21/2012, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    15. Oulton, Nicholas, 2015. "Space-time (in)consistency in the national accounts:causes and cures," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 62569, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. David Warner & D. S. Prasada Rao & William E. Griffiths & Duangkamon Chotikapanich, 2014. "Global Inequality; Levels and Trends, 1993–2005: How Sensitive are These to the Choice of PPPs and Real Income Measures?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(S2), pages 281-304, November.
    17. Branko Milanovic, 2012. "Global inequality recalculated and updated: the effect of new PPP estimates on global inequality and 2005 estimates," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Petr Janský & Marek Šedivý, 2018. "How Do Regional Price Levels Affect Income Inequality? Household-level Evidence From 21 Countries," LIS Working papers 752, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    19. Alan Heston, "undated". "What Can Be Learned About the Economies of China and India from Purchasing Power Comparisons?," Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi Working Papers 229, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi, India.
    20. Facundo Alvaredo & Leonardo Gasparini, 2013. "Recent Trends in Inequality and Poverty in Developing Countries," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0151, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    21. David Warner & Prasada Rao & William E. Griffiths & Duangkamon Chotikapanich, 2011. "Global Inequality: Levels and Trends, 1993-2005," Discussion Papers Series 436, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    International Comparisons Program; Country-Product-Dummy Method; Price Index; Basic Heading; Urban-Rural Price Differences; Representative and Unrepresentative Products; Asia-Pacific Region;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:swe:wpaper:2010-25. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Hongyi Li (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/senswau.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.