Comparing Multipliers in the Social Accounting Matrix Framework

The aim of this paper is to compare the linear multipliers corresponding to the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) framework. Specifically, the differences between two matrices of multipliers are divided into two separate components. The first one shows the differences in the structural coefficients. The second one shows the differences in the ability of the accounts to generate net multipliers. This depends on the importance of agents and institutions within the income process. The method developed in this paper can be used for comparisons between countries or regions and can also be used for comparisons over time. The empirical application is for the Catalan economy. I compare the multipliers corresponding to two social accounting matrices, one for 1990 and one for 1994. The main conclusion is that the changes in the structural coefficients of the Catalan economy explain the less part of the global multiplier changes.