Improved Deflation of Computers in the Gross National Product of the United States

摘要

Price indexes for computers were not available in 1985, either from the BLS producer price index program, or from private sources. The absence of such a price index caused inaccuracies in BEA's measures of real gross national product (GNP). The paper describes BEA research on computer prices and three alternative price indexes that were developed. This research was fundamental to the later development of deflators for computers which were used in the measurement of real GNP beginning December, 1985.