Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • December 2002
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

National Economic Accounting: Past, Present, and Future

By: David A. Moss and Sarah A. Brennan
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:28
ShareBar

Abstract

Presents the fundamentals of GDP accounting (including definitions, etc.), examines the history of national accounting, and surveys the international debate over "Green GDP." The first section explains the basic rules and definitions of national economic accounting and the meaning of GDP versus NDP. The second section provides historical context for the development of national income estimates, 1886 to 1940, culminating in the creation of GNP by the U.S. Department of Commerce in the 1940s. The third and final section discusses the standard imputations currently made to reflect nonprice economic activity (e.g., for owner-occupied housing and government services) and explores the debate over imputations for natural resources and environmental quality.

Keywords

History; Natural Environment; Quality; Accounting; Forecasting and Prediction; Environmental Sustainability; Economy; United States

Citation

Moss, David A., and Sarah A. Brennan. "National Economic Accounting: Past, Present, and Future." Harvard Business School Case 703-026, December 2002.
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

David A. Moss

Business, Government and the International Economy
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • 2020
    • Faculty Research

    The U.S. Secession Crisis as a Breakdown of Democracy

    By: David Moss and Dean Grodzins
    • 2017
    • Faculty Research

    Democracy: A Case Study

    By: David Moss
    • February 2016 (Revised July 2017)
    • Faculty Research

    An Australian Ballot for California?

    By: David Moss, Marc Campasano and Dean Grodzins
More from the Authors
  • The U.S. Secession Crisis as a Breakdown of Democracy By: David Moss and Dean Grodzins
  • Democracy: A Case Study By: David Moss
  • An Australian Ballot for California? By: David Moss, Marc Campasano and Dean Grodzins
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College