PPP: tech note + lots of data

[Sanjeev Sabhlok <sabhlok@almaak.usc.edu>]

From:	http://www.worldbank.org/html/iecdd/data.htm#SNA

                      Purchasing Power Parities

If you want to know more about PPP-based GNP per capita figures consult
the World Development Indicators, the World Development Report and,
beginning with the 1995 issue, the World Bank Atlas. Those interested in
detailed data may wish to consult Purchasing Power of Currencies:
Comparing National Incomes Using ICP Data and the accompanying ICP STARS
Diskettes.

Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) are used to convert values of Gross
Domestic Expenditures of countries by converting from national
currencies to a common currency for comparison. PPPs are defines as the
number of units of a countryone US dollar would buy in the United
States.

The rich and detailed data that ICP produces allow cross country
comparison not only at the GDP level, but also at about 150 to 250
components of GDP. The data can be used to analyze price and quantity
structures of countries on an internationally comparable basis. For
example, the ICP data are widely used for poverty analysis.

PS: the above URL also gives data on BOP and debt, plus social
indicators:

	http://www.worldbank.org/html/iecdd/wdipdf.htm

Please check out statistics on this table which deals with many things
including health, economy, etc. These tables were normally available
only on purchasing various reports. Now these are free. Please download
and print. Also, please challenge these figures if you feel you have
better statistics.

If no challenge is received, then we all agree to accept this data which
is vetted by representatives of ALL nations of the world, since these
are United Nations publications.

If we agree to these basic statistics, then we can proceed further in
our debates. I am not in a position to debate when basic statistics are
questioned. It also does not appear correct to be told that we should be
discussing policy in isolation of facts.

Sanjeev


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