- Recession index
The recession index ("the R-word index") is an informal index created by
The Economist which counts how many stories in theWashington Post and theNew York Times using the word “recession ” in a quarter.This simple formula pinpointed the start of recessions in 1981, 1990, and 2001, but was misleading in the early 1990s, when the index indicated a recession for a year after it had officially ended in March 1991.
The index has inspired serious research into testing whether the tone and volume of economic reporting over time has affected people's perceptions.
Mark Doms (FederalReserve Bank of San Francisco) andNorman Morin (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) (2004 [cite web
url = http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/papers/2004/wp04-09bk.pdf
title = Consumer Sentiment, the Economy, and the News Media — FRBSF Working Paper 2004-09
last = Doms
first = Mark
coauthors = Morin, Norman
publisher =Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
date = 2004-07
format = pdf
accessdate = 2008-02-28
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5b0X5tpqd
archivedate = 2008-09-21
quote = ] ) created indexes based on the number of articles that contain certain keywords and phrases in the title or first paragraph in the thirty largest newspapers across the US. For instance, the "recession index" is based on the number of articles that mention "recession" or "economic slowdown.". [cite web
url = http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2004/el2004-29.html
title = FRBSF Economic Letter — 2004-29; October 22, 2004 — Consumer Sentiment and the Media
last = Doms
first = Mark
publisher =Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
date = 2004-10-22
accessdate = 2008-02-28
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5b0XB5D1O
archivedate = 2008-09-21
quote = ]ources
* cite web
url = http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_TQVVTTG
title = The recession index — Words that can harm you — Nov 21st 2002
publisher =The Economist
date = 2002-11-21
accessdate = 2008-02-27
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5b0W9c47q
archivedate = 2008-09-21
quote =
* cite web
url = http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10498907
title = R-word index — Warning lights
publisher =The Economist , WASHINGTON, DC
date = 2008-01-10
accessdate = 2008-02-27
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5b0X1FN0L
archivedate = 2008-09-21
quote =References
See also
*
Big Mac Index
*Christmas Price Index
*List of unusual units of measurement
*List of humorous units of measurement
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