Males Públicos e o IPC: O Caso do Tabaco

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to generalize the economic index numbers theory to deal with situations in which the consumer faces quantity constraints. The usefulness of this approach lies in its wide scope of application, including situations of rationing (in the strictest sense, such as those imposed during times of war), situations of market disequilibrium and those in which there are externalities (public goods, for example). In this paper the case of consumer/consumer externalities will be explored with particular reference to the case of smoking. In concluding some implications for CPI methodologies will be explored.