Abstract
With antecedents as far back as the late 17th century, national accounting is a product of the Great Depression, the Second World War and the subsequent period of recovery and economic growth. Soon after the war, country experiences and international harmonization processes interacted, eventually leading to a complete accounting framework with the 1993 SNA/ESA 1995. Until the mid-1970s, national accounting experienced a kind of golden age, after which greater difficulties arose, in terms of the increased complexity of economic life, widened social concerns and theoretical challenges. In that context, impressive achievements and a sense of frustration have coexisted.
This chapter was originally published in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, 2008. Edited by Steven N. Durlauf and Lawrence E. Blume
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Vanoli, A. (2008). National Accounting, History Of. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_2412-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_2412-1
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