The Extraction of Technical Coefficients from Input and Output Data

Presumably, input-output coefficients reflect technology, and these coefficients measure the input requirements per unit of product. This concept has been extended to consumption theory, where it models expenditure shares. Input-output coefficients are extracted from the national accounts of an economy, by taking average proportions between inputs and outputs. Since the latter represent all sorts of inefficiencies, this practice blurs the measurement of technology. Input requirements are better measured by minimal proportions between inputs and outputs. This approach separates the measurement of technology from that of productive efficiency.