A conversation with Alessandro Brunetti and Patrizia Collesi (ISTAT)
In February of each year, the Italian institute for statistics (ISTAT) updates the consumer price basket - an essential tool for estimating inflation based on a list of products representing household consumption. The 2023 basket was made up of 1,900 'elementary products' and the new items included private medical check-ups for sports, smartphone repairs, smart speaker assistants, as well as such fresh produce as freshly caught tuna and farmed fresh turbot. Today's talk will take us through the 2024 basket, discussing what's been added or excluded, the overall composition and the weighting of items to calculate inflation.
Alessandro Brunetti has a degree in Economic Statistics and a PhD in Economics from the Sapienza University in Rome. He's been with Istat for over 20 years and currently heads the Integrated system for household economic conditions and consumer prices directorate, he has produced numerous academic publications on prices and inflation, and represents Istat in international working groups.
Patrizia Collesi is a journalist. She has a degree in Modern Languages from the Sapienza University in Rome, and is a specialist in terminology and languages for special purposes. She has also been teaching English for special purposes at university level for many years. She joined Istat in 2002 and has worked in several departments, acquiring a comprehensive understanding of its data and output. With substantial experience at Istat's press office, she now heads the unit for the promotion of statistical education. She is active in managing the Italian Statistics Olympics and liaising with other institutions for the promotion of statistical culture. She also represents Istat in international working groups.
