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Relative U.K./U.S. Output Reconsidered: A Reply to Professor Broadberry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2004

MARIANNE WARD
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Loyola College in Maryland, 4501 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21210-2699. E-mail: mward3@loyola. edu
JOHN DEVEREUX
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Economics, Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, Flushing, New York, New York, 11367-1597. E-mail: Jdevereu@qc.edu

Abstract

In the September 2003 issue of this JOURNAL, we provided benchmark comparisons of U.K./U.S. income from 1870 to 1990. In contrast to long-span projections from Angus Maddison and others, our estimates show the United States leading from 1870 in terms of income per capita and output per worker. In a 12-page comment that accompanies our article, Professor Stephen Broadberry criticizes our work on three grounds. First, he charges our estimates are inconsistent with his U.K./U.S. sectoral productivity comparisons. Second, he chastises us on the grounds that our price benchmarks conflict with standard U.S. and U.K. price indices. Finally, he queries our nominal GDP estimates.

Type
NOTES AND DISCUSSION
Copyright
© 2004 The Economic History Association

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