Consumption, culture, change

Changing times: We can learn much about our culture simply by identifying which items exit the new CPI basket and which items enter it, says the writer. – 123rf.com

READER beware. This title could be misleading, but our changing CPI (consumer price index) basket, besides tracking inflation, says a lot about our culture, especially in Pakistan.

Our current CPI basket is based on the Family Budget Survey 2015-16, not published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics that prefers to publish the Household Income and Expenditure Survey.