Two Methods of Elaborating “Input-Output” Tables

The construction of a commodity x commodity “Input-Output” table is more akin to a modelisation than to a statistical description of inter-industry trade. Two methods of contruction are proposed; the first, or algebraic method, is macroeconomic. It consists of an algebraic computation of the technical coefficients in each industry based on those in the sectors. On the contrary, the second, or econometric method, is microeconomic: it leads to an econometric estimate of these same industry-technical coefficients from individual-firm data.