Use of National Income and Product Accounts for Public Policy: Our Successes and Failures

摘要

Uses two indirect approaches to evaluate the national income and product accounts' successes and failures as tools for public policy. First, the 'accuracy' of the estimates, using the size of revisions to GNP estimates as an indicator of accuracy of earlier estimates, was reviewed. Second, users' recommendations, drawn from publications spaced over the last 30 years, were reviewed.