Essays in Index Number Theory

R.A. Pollak, University of Washington and University of Pennsylvania The papers in this volume provide a lucid synthesis of the history and the current state of index number and aggregation theory by a leading theorist. A.S. Deaton, Princeton University ...provides a comprehensive encyclopaedia of the economics of index numbers by the master of the subject,...an indispensable source and guide book for all those interested in this fascinating subject. P.A. Samuelson in Foundations of Economic Analysis about chapter 8 Thirty-five years after...there has been but one major advance of index number theory namely W.E. Diewert's formalizing concept of a "superlative index number." J.E. Triplett, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis These clearly written and carefullly worked out papers will raise the level of professional discourse on the empirical data that economists use in the practice of their profession. Diewert is perhaps the foremost contributor to measurement economics of the past two decades.

• Introduction. Overview of Volume I (W.E. Diewert). History. The Early History of Price Index Research (W.E. Diewert). Konus, Alexander Alexandrovich (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, Vol. 3, 1987, p.62. Laspeyres, Ernst Louis Etienne (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, Vol. 3, 1987, pp. 133-134. Surveys and Basic Methods. Index Numbers (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, Vol. 2, 1987, pp. 767-780. Duality Approaches to Microeconomic Theory (W.E. Diewert), published in abridged form in Handbook of Mathematical Economics, 1982, pp. 535-599. The Economic Theory of Index Numbers: A Survey (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Essays in the Theory and Measurement of Consumer Behaviour in Honour of Sir Richard Stone, 1981, pp. 163-208. Superlative Index Numbers. Exact and Superlative Index Numbers (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Journal of Econometrics, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1976, pp. 115-145. Superlative Index Numbers and Consistency in Aggregation (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Econometrica, Vol. 46, No. 4, 1978, pp. 883-900. Direct Versus Implicit Superlative Index Number Formulae (R.C. Allen, W.E. Diewert), reprinted from The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 63, No. 3, 1981, pp. 430-435. The Axiomatic Approach to Index Number Theory. Group Cost of Living Indexes: Approximations and Axiomatics (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Methods of Operations Research, Vol. 48, 1984, pp. 23-45. Test Approaches to International Comparisons (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Measurement in Economics, 1988, pp. 67-86. Fisher Ideal Output, Input and Productivity Indexes Revisited (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Journal of Productivity Analysis, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1992, pp. 211-248. Symmetric Means and Choice under Uncertainty (W.E. Diewert). Aggregation Using Price Proportionality. Hicks' Aggregation Theorem and the Existence of a Real Value Added Function (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Production Economics: A Dual Approach to Theory and Economic Applications, Vol. 2, 1978, pp. 17-51. A Note on Aggregation and Elasticities of Substitution (W.E. Diewert), reprinted from Canadian Journal of Economics, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1974, pp. 12-20. Consolidated References for Volume I. Name Index. Subject Index.