Accession Number:

AD0781257

Title:

Theoretical Aspects of Comparing Economic Capacity.

Descriptive Note:

Final technical note,

Corporate Author:

STANFORD RESEARCH INST ARLINGTON VA STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER

Personal Author(s):

• Bear,D. V. T.

Report Date:

1972-02-01

Pagination or Media Count:

125.0

Abstract:

The report outlines some of the theoretical difficulties associated with comparing U.S. and Soviet economic magnitudes like Gross National Product GNP, the output of military goods and services, and RDT and E inputs. A basic difficulty common to all such comparisons is that, for all significant economic analysis, multi-dimensional vectors rather than single numerical quantities are being compared. The concepts and issues arising from this fundamental difficulty apply not only to GNP comparisons but also to the other types of economic comparisons. Although the focus here is on comparing U.S. and Soviet measures, the issues raised in the report cover comparisons of any two countries or of a single country at two points in time. Author

Descriptors:

• *Economics
• *United States
• *USSR
• Military budgets
• Research management
• Production
• National defense
• Costs
• Curve fitting
• Graphics
• Statistical analysis

Subject Categories:

• Economics and Cost Analysis

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE