Econometric Input-Output Tables Data Base

Abstract

This paper describes a software tool for storing and manipulating Input-Output tables and their related descriptive information. Though this work has resulted as a direct response to the problems encountered during research by the University of Bradford Input-Output group, this tool has been designed to have far more general uses in the field of Input-Output making it possible for Economists to forget about writing complex programs in a general purpose language, allowing them to concentrate more on the economic aspects of the problem leaving the Data storage, retrieval and manipulation problems to the computer.A description is given of the package showing how the Data Base is set up, how the data is stored and how it can be retrieved, with examples being given of the type of information that can be handled. Definitions are given of some of the variables, types and procedures, describing their function and use with some simple examples.Also described are the problems that have arisen in having to standardize the data in order to be able to encode it onto the Data Base. The major part of the problem has been solved both in encoding and using the final Data Base, leaving room for subjectivity in coding only in the initial stages.