The Computer and the Statistician. Computerization and the Mobilization of Scanner Data by National Statistical Institutes for the Construction of Price Indexes

This article analyzes the impact of the availability of scanner data, resulting from the computerization of retail stores, on the practices of national statistical institutes concerning the construction of price indexes. Notably, it details the methodological shift in the construction of price indexes allowed by the availability of scanner data and analyzes the technical constraints which can explain the (still) current low mobilization of scanner data by national statistical institutes.