From its inception, the Penn World Tables (PWT), building on the International Comparisons Program (ICP) of the United Nations, has sought to compare the standard of living of individuals in different countries. That is, the term"real GDP per capita"as reported in the PWT is intended to...

This study is concerned with the conceptual and measurement problems which arise in comparisons of levels of per capita output and productivity in different countries. The author stresses the reliance of standarized valuations of the different elements of output rather than official exchange...