Penn World Table 6.0

This is an Update of what appeared with PWT 5.6 which in turn was based upon Appendix B of "The Penn
World Table (Mark 5): An Expanded Set of International Comparisons, 1950- 1988," The Quarterly Journal
of Economics, May, 1991. This appendix is intended to be self-contained with respect to PWT 6.0, but does
not contain documentation specific to PWT 5.6 or earlier.
NOTE BENE: Some column numbers have been changed from earlier versions and some changes in
definitions of variables and variable designations have been made. In previous versions of PWT the
data table has been referred to as a System of Real National Accounts or SRNA, following the
United Nations System of National Accounts. Subsequent to using the term SRNA a revised SNA
has been adopted by the United Nations that explicitly deals with place-to-place comparisons both
nationally and internationally. Because the revised SNA explicitly endorses purchasing power parity
(PPP) based conversions across space, we have adopted Space-Time System of National Accounts
as a preferred description of our table.

China participated in an ESCAP
benchmark study for 1993 limited to comparisons between Shanghai and Tokyo
and Hong Kong and Guangdong. In the end only the Hong Kong-Guangdong
comparison was completed. Currently there is a study of prices in 10 cities within
China and discussions have taken place about a possible link to the OECD
comparisons for 1996; however that has not yet been realized. Put another way,
the basis for purchasing power estimates for China is very little improved over
previous versions of PWT. Further, the need to look seriously at the current and
constant price estimates of China remains. The previous discussion of China is
preserved in the notes to PWT 5.6. The present discussion will only deal with
changes in PWT 6.0.
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