The items used in computing the index are all items with a market
value to which a specific unit and quality can be assigned and whose
prices can be easily observed over a period of time. These items have a
relative share in the total expenditure that is equal to or higher than
0.03 per cent for the European index
.
:hp4.Weights and composition:ehp4.
Major groups | Number of items | Weights | Approximate number of price quotations (a) |
---|---|---|---|
Food | 105 | 451.6 | 7110 |
Fuel and light | 5 | 60.8 | 20 |
Clothing and footwear | 20 | 76.2 | 508 |
Household goods | 5 | 6.4 | 324 |
Cleaning materials | 12 | 29.7 | 804 |
Personal and medical care | 24 | 67.6 | 1576 |
Domestic services | 3 | 112.6 | 36 |
Miscellaneous | 25 | 195.1 | 475 |
Total | 199 | 1000.0 | 10853 |
Note: (a) Number of annual quotations.
Expenditure on the following items was also excluded: durable goods, education, insurance other than for vehicles, contributions, gifts, income tax and other taxes, fines, transfers, personal goods and miscellaneous expenditure. Wages paid for domestic services (not taking account of benefits in kind) and the running expenses and insurance of private vehicles were included.
The prices of food items and cleaning materials are collected in 23 supermarkets and large grocery stores in town centres and in areas where there is quite a large European population.
The prices of certain food items such as fresh fruit and vegetables are obtained every six days by direct purchase of these items by agents in the major public market. The prices of the other items are collected by means of questionnaires sent each month to some 43 retail shops and establishments.
Data on domestic services are obtained once a year by means of a special survey of a sample of households. The list of these households is brought up to date every year by reference to the list of employers provided by the Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale (national social insurance fund).
If an item disappears from the market and an equivalent cannot be found, but a similar one has already been introduced in the index, the weight of the item that has disappeared is attributed to the similar item. If a similar item has not been introduced and a substitute cannot be found, its weight is distributed among the various items of the same group.
In most cases, the disappearance of an item leads to the appearance of a new one. Generally, therefore, there is a certain period when the prices of the two items can be collected and when the difference in quality and price can be evaluated so that the link does not conceal the real difference in price. The new item is not incorporated in the index until its sales volume has become fairly significant.
Bulletin mensuel de statistique(Antananarivo).
Idem: Situation économique
.
Direction générale du gouvernement, Direction de l'Institut national
de la statistique et de la recherche économique:
L'établissement des nouveaux indices des prix de détail à la
consommation familiale à Tananarive, base août 1971-juillet
1972 = 100
(Antananarivo).