Postwar structural and technological changes in the American economy

This paper utilizes input—output techniques to analyze postwar technological and structural change in the American economy, focusing on the subperiods 1947–1958, 1958–1963 and 1963–1966. The relationship between technological change, changes in input—output relationships and structural change is discussed. Postwar changes in total output requirements as measured by inverse coefficients and in intermediate output requirements as measured by inverse and by direct coefficients are summarized, and the variability in individual input—output coefficients is analyzed. It is found that postwar changes in the structure of the American economy have been highly uneven, unpatterned and erratic and that the accurate forecasting of these changes is extremely difficult given the data which are presently available. The indications of these findings for interindustry research are briefly discussed.