This panel report, chaired by Charles Schultze of the Brookings Institution and sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor, examines the policy debate about the appropriate conceptual framework for the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key economic indicatory of inflation. The BLS has largely been using a cost-of-living index to determine the CPI, but some suggest that a cost-of-goods index would be more appropriate. The panel found advantages and disadvantages in both indexes and could not come to unanimity on recommending a sole framework for construction of the CPI. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)