This paper proposes a preference based methodology, analogous to the estimation of equivalence scales in the demographic demand literature, for the estimation of the item specific intra country PPPs (i.e. spatial prices) and inter country PPPs in a unified framework using unit records of...

This study introduces, for the first time, the concept of item specific purchasing power parity (PPP) between countries that marks a significant departure from exercises such as the International Comparison Program (ICP). The paper proposes a methodology for the estimation of the item specific...

This study addresses two significant limitations in the literature on cross-country expenditure comparisons: (a) treatment of all countries, large and small, as single entities with no spatial differences inside the countries, and (b) use of Divisia price indices, rather than preference based...

Much of the recent welfare analysis in the development literature has focussed attention on poverty. This is especially true for India which has seen a large proliferation in the poverty literature. This study departs from this tradition and focuses on inequality. It is based on the premise that...

While purchasing power parity (PPP) between countries has received a great deal of attention, PPP calculations within countries have received less attention. The idea that one unit of currency has the same purchasing power in all regions in large countries is false. This paper addresses this...

Consumer expenditure surveys often show households reporting zero consumption of some commodities. Three reasons for this are recognized in the literature: (i) infrequency of purchase, (ii) a strong brand preference for differentiated products and (iii) misreporting. However, sometimes the...

This paper proposes a four-parameter statistical model of the personalized distribution of income using the "income share elasticity" approach suggested by Esteban (1986). Our proposed model includes the Singh-Maddala (1976) and Dagum (1977) distributions as special cases. The generalized beta...