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Preface – National Accounting: Old Questions Revisited, Plus Some New Ones

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  • Diane Coyle

Abstract

[eng] Whether or not the national accounts were ‘one of the great inventions’ of the past century, they have certainly been one of the most influential. They are the lens through which we have viewed economic progress, focused ultimately on the growth in real GDP. As a result, governments promising to deliver progress to their citizens have been evaluated by that metric, and made policy decisions in order to deliver it. This issue of Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics provides a timely overview of key critiques – some old and some new – of the national accounts.

Suggested Citation

  • Diane Coyle, 2020. "Preface – National Accounting: Old Questions Revisited, Plus Some New Ones," Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE), issue 517-518-5, pages 5-7.
  • Handle: RePEc:nse:ecosta:ecostat_2020_517t_1
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.24187/ecostat.2020.517t.2015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David M. Byrne & John G. Fernald & Marshall B. Reinsdorf, 2016. "Does the United States Have a Productivity Slowdown or a Measurement Problem?," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 47(1 (Spring), pages 109-182.
    2. Chad Syverson, 2017. "Challenges to Mismeasurement Explanations for the US Productivity Slowdown," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 165-186, Spring.
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