Gar Lipow wrote: >I would be very curious to know if there is some >reference source that would let someone do this calculation on a >Country by Country basis for the entire world, or whether someone has >already gone to the trouble of doing this. Are there standard >purchasing power parity tables out there somewhere? Look in the Statistical Abstract of the United States; most recent I have on hand immediately is 1996, tables 1334 and 1335, pp. 835-836. Table 1334 shows GNP per cap at prevailing exchange rates in US dollars; table 1335 shows GDP in purchasing power parity basis. That is the source of the figure on Mexico PPP being nearly double the exchange rate GDP per capita in '94. Unfortunately, that chart doesn't give many other developing countries, but it cites OECD National Accounts, Main Aggregates, Vol.1; and Makhijani's book cites something called the United Nations International Comparison Project; and I believe there was a front page NY Times article on the general idea in around '94, which Makhijani was trumpeting when I had the chance to hear him speak at a seminar at the Institute for Policy Studies in that year. I'm pretty sure someone in the UN is cranking this out annually. I too would be interested in sustained analyses of Makhijani's point and proposals. It is a little mind blowing to think about. cheers, Thad Thad Williamson National Center for Economic and Security Alternatives (Washington)/ Dept. of Government, Harvard University (Cambridge) 617-876-5672
