Hedonic Quality-Adjusted Price Indices for the American Automobile Industry, 1906-1941 [United States] (ICPSR 31762)

Version Date: Oct 28, 2011

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Principal Investigator(s):
Daniel M.G. Raff, University of Pennsylvania; Manuel Trajtenberg, Tel Aviv University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR31762.v1

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Summary

This data collection consists of prices and detailed attribute information for automobile models published in the contemporary trade press -- specifically the periodicals "Automotive Industries" and "Motor" -- at the time of the annual New York Auto Show from 1906 to 1941. It is important to note that the data represent only firms operating above a certain minimal economic threshold, namely they were large enough to make advertising at the major annual trade show attractive.

Citation

Raff, Daniel M.G., and Trajtenberg, Manuel. Hedonic Quality-Adjusted Price Indices for the American Automobile Industry, 1906-1941 [United States]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011-10-28. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR31762.v1

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Funding

National Science Foundation (SES9023021)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

1906 -- 1941

Data Collection Notes

  1. This document is part of ICPSR's Publication-Related Archive and is distributed exactly as it arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the principal investigator if further information is desired.

  2. The zipped package contains Excel data files used in the publications.

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Unit(s) of Observation

Automotive models. Each mechanically distinct automotive model variant could usually be purchased with any of several different bodies.

Data Source

Data on attributes and prices were collected from the periodicals "Automotive Industries" and "Motor". Coverage was then compared against the listings in Kimes and Clark's 1985 publication, "Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942" (Second edition), an authoritative hobbyist source. It is important to note that the data represent only firms operating above a certain minimal economic threshold, namely they were large enough to advertise at the major annual trade show attractive.

Our procedure was to code data on the selected attributes from the most comprehensive source of auto show mechanical attribute tables available at the time of coding. We then went to that source's body tables to create the fuller row space in the identifier, price, and body type columns, and then copied the mechanical attribute data appropriately. We then went to the other periodical's tables and augmented as appropriate both the row space of individual manufacturers' body models and the column space of attributes we thought worth recording.

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Original Release Date

2011-10-27

Version History

2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:
  • Raff, Daniel M.G., and Manuel Trajtenberg. Hedonic Quality-Adjusted Price Indices for the American Automobile Industry, 1906-1941 [United States]. ICPSR31762-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011-10-28. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR31762.v1
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Notes

  • These data are flagged as replication datasets and are distributed exactly as they arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.