Biproportional Method for Analysing Interindustry Dynamics: the case of France

Two elements are being presented in this paper: (1) A new and original method for analysing matrix dynamics, called the synthetical biproportional projector method (SBP), which can be used to project input–output tables and compare one with another. (2) Some results for France for the important period 1970–85. The paper starts with the observation that no systematic study of the change in the French productive structure as displayed In the input–output tables (tableaux entries-sorties in France) has ever been made. This is unfortunate, since a complete series of data is now available concerning a key period of the French economic evolution including the petroleum crisis, European integration and so on. It thus appeared that such a study could be undertaken using an original method of intertemporal comparison of the 16 matrices corresponding to the period 1970–85. The method and some of the results are briefly summarized.