National income estimates date back to the late 17th century, but only in the half-century since the Second World War have economic accounts developed in their present form, becoming an indispensable tool for macroeconomic analysis, projections and policy formulation. Furthermore, it was in this period that the United Nations issued several versions of a system of national accounts (SNA) to make possible economic comparisons on a consistent basis. The latest version, SNA 1993 , published in early 1994, occasioned this collection of essays and commentaries.
The three chief objectives of the volume are: to enhance understanding of socioeconomic accounts generally and of SNA 1993 in particular; to offer a critique of SNA 1993 , including constructive suggestions for future revisions of the system, making it even more useful for its national and international purposes; and to serve as a textbook, or book of readings in conjunction with SNA 1993 , for courses in economic accounts.

Inhalt
1 Introduction and Overview.- 2 Design of Economic Accounts and the 1993 System of National Accounts.- Discussants.- 3 Expansion of Boundaries and Satellite Accounts.- Discussant.- 4 Household Sector Income, Consumption, and Wealth.- Discussant.- 5 Capital and Wealth in the Revised SNA.- Discussant.- 6 Government in the 1993 System of National Accounts.- Discussant.- 7 Financial Intermediaries and Financial Accounts.- Discussant.- 8 Price and Volume Measures in the System of National Accounts.- Discussant.- 9 Adaptation of the Revised SNA for Developing Economies.- Discussant.- 10 Adaptation of the SNA for Transition Economies.- Discussant.- 11 External Sector Transactions: Toward a World Accounting Matrix.- Discussant.- 12 The United Nations System of National Accounts and the Integration of Micro and Macro Data.- Discussant.- 13 Reliability and Accuracy of Quarterly GDP Estimates: A Review.- Discussant.- Author Index.