Terminology

Introduction

This vignette reviews the terminology used in input–output analysis, with reference to the Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input–Output Tables (Beutel, 2008).

This vignette is therefore descriptive, documenting how the iotables package uses Eurostat-style terminology consistent with ESA 2010 and the System of National Accounts (SNA 2008).

library(iotables)

Retrieve the demo dataset, the Germany 1995 Symmetric Input-Output Table:

germany_siot <- iotable_get()

Structure of input–output tables

An input–output table (IOT) describes the flow of products and services in an economy, linking industries (producers) with their inputs, outputs, and final uses. In a symmetric input–output table (SIOT), both rows and columns represent either products or industries.

Eurostat distinguishes four quadrants of a SIOT:

Quadrant Description ESA 2010 / SNA 2008 Category
I Intermediate consumption — flows between industries or products Intermediate use
II Final demand — purchases by households, government, investment, exports Final use
III Primary inputs — compensation of employees, net taxes, gross operating surplus Primary inputs
IV Output totals — column sums at basic prices Output (P.1)

Quadrants I–III correspond to the rows of the table, while the column totals in Quadrant IV represent the total output of each industry or product.

Core matrices and notation

Input–output analysis is built on a small set of matrices and vectors.
The iotables package follows the same notation used in Beutel (2008).

Symbol Meaning Definition Function in iotables
Z Intermediate-consumption matrix Flows of products between industries iotable_get()
A Input (technical) coefficient matrix \(A_{ij} = Z_{ij} / X_{j}\)|input_coefficient_matrix_create()| | **(I − A)** | Leontief matrix | Identity minus A |leontief_matrix_create()| | **L = (I − A)⁻¹** | Leontief inverse | Total (direct + indirect) requirements |leontief_inverse_create()`
f Final-demand vector Exogenous demand by category retrieved from IOT
x = Lf Total output vector Fundamental Leontief equation

Eurostat equation references:

  • \(a_ij\) = \(x_ij\) / \(x_j\) — technical coefficient (19), (43) identical formulations for SIOTs

  • \(x\) = \((I − A)⁻¹\) — total output

Input and output coefficients

Input coefficients (technical coefficients)

Each element of the input coefficient matrix A shows the share of input i used in producing one unit of output of industry j:

\[ a_{ij} = \frac{x_{ij}}{x_j} \]

where
- \(a_{ij}\) = input coefficient for domestic goods and services
- \(x_{ij}\) = flow of product i to industry j (a cell in Quadrant I)
- \(x_j\) = total output of industry j

These coefficients are sometimes called direct requirements or technical coefficients.

hey are computed in iotables by:

input_coefficient_matrix_create(
  data_table = iotable_get(source = "germany_1995"),
  digits = 4
)
#>              iotables_row agriculture_group industry_group construction
#> 1       agriculture_group            0.0258         0.0236       0.0000
#> 2          industry_group            0.1806         0.2822       0.2613
#> 3            construction            0.0097         0.0068       0.0158
#> 4             trade_group            0.0811         0.0674       0.0578
#> 5 business_services_group            0.0828         0.0890       0.1263
#> 6    other_services_group            0.0353         0.0139       0.0071
#>   trade_group business_services_group other_services_group
#> 1      0.0011                  0.0010               0.0015
#> 2      0.0761                  0.0173               0.0597
#> 3      0.0098                  0.0339               0.0180
#> 4      0.1378                  0.0156               0.0413
#> 5      0.1218                  0.2790               0.0672
#> 6      0.0208                  0.0217               0.0434

Output coefficients

The output coefficient matrix (Ghosh-type) expresses how the output of industry i is distributed across purchasing sectors j:

\[o_{ij} = \frac{x_{ij}}{x_i}\]

where

  • \(o_{ij}\) = output coefficient (distribution ratio)

  • \(x_{ij}\) = flow of product i to industry j

  • \(x_{i}\) = total output of product i

These ratios describe the supply-side distribution structure and are computed by output_coefficient_matrix_create().

Linkages between industries (inter-industry analysis)

Two types of linkages are typically analysed:

  • Backward linkage – measures the strength of a sector’s demand on its suppliers.
    It is given by the column sum of input coefficients or, when based on the Leontief inverse, includes all indirect effects through the supply chain.

  • Forward linkage – measures the influence of a sector as a supplier to others. It is given by the row sum of output coefficients, describing how the sector’s output feeds into other industries.

Indicators and multipliers

Direct indicators

An input indicator represents a specific row of the coefficient matrix A,
for example value added (GVA), labour, or emissions per unit of output.

input_indicator_create(
  data_table = iotable_get(), input_row = "gva"
)
#>     iotables_row agriculture_group industry_group construction trade_group
#> 14 gva_indicator         0.4933728      0.3659488    0.4707703   0.5766124
#>    business_services_group other_services_group
#> 14               0.5999044            0.7172413

Multipliers

The income, product, employment, or emission multipliers are calculated with the following generic formula:

\[ (63) Z = B(I-A)^{1} \] - \(B\) = matrix of input coefficients for primary input (income, employment, product, or pollutant) - \(I\) = unit matrix - \(A\) = matrix of input coefficients for intermediates - \(Y\) = Diagonal matrix for final demand by product - \(Z\) = matrix with results for direct and indirect requirements for primary inputs1.

Embodied emissions in final demand:

\[ (66) Z = B(I-A)^{1}Y \]

  • \(B\) = matrix of input coefficients for primary input
  • \(I\) = unit matrix
  • \(A\) = matrix of input coefficients for intermediates
  • \(Y\) = Diagonal matrix for final demand by product
  • \(Z\) = matrix with results for direct and indirect requirements for primary inputs

See Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input–Output Tables (Beutel, 2008, pp.503-506.)

Output coefficients

The output coefficients are ratios derived from quadrant I (intermediates) and quadrant II (final demand) of a sector.

The output_coefficient_matrix_create() function creates these coefficients based on equation (5) in the Eurostat Manual.

  1. \(o_{ij}\) = \(x_{ij}\) / \(x_i\)

\(o_{ij}\) = output coefficient for domestic goods and services (i = 1, …, 6; j = 1, …, 6) \(x_{ij}\) = flow of commodity i to sector j \(x_j\) = output of sector i

Summary of key equations

No. Formula Description
(5) \(o_{ij}\) = \(x_{ij}\) / \(x_i\) Output coefficient (Ghosh model)
(9) \(a_{ij}\) = \(x_{ij}\) / \(x_j\) Input (technical) coefficient
(19), (43) Identical to (9) for SIOTs
(47) \(x\) = \((I - A)^{-1}\) Leontief model for total output
(L) \(L\) = \((I - A)^{-1}\) Leontief inverse
(m) \(m\) = \(a \times L\) Multiplier equation

Validation summary (Eurostat Manual, Beutel 2008)

All analytical functions of iotables reproduce the benchmark examples from Beutel (2008), Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input–Output Tables.

Function Concept Beutel Table Page
input_coefficient_matrix_create() Direct requirements (A) 15.6 485
leontief_matrix_create() Leontief matrix \((I − A)\) 15.9 487
leontief_inverse_create() Total requirements (\(L\) = \((I − A)^{1}\)) 15.10 488
supplementary_add() Environmental extension (CO₂, CH₄) 15.13 494
input_indicator_create() Input indicators (GVA, Compensation) 15.14 498
multiplier_create() Total multipliers (GVA, Employment) 15.16 503–504

References

  • Beutel, J. (2008). Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input–Output Tables.
    Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
  • United Nations (2018). Handbook on Supply and Use Tables and Input–Output Tables with Extensions and Applications, Rev. 1.
    New York: United Nations.
  • OECD (2021). Inter-Country Input–Output (ICIO) Manual. Paris: OECD Publishing.
  • United Nations (2012). System of Environmental-Economic Accounting 2012: Central Framework.
    New York: United Nations.

  1. In the Eurostat Manual, the calculations are shown with (63) wages, (64) employment, (65) capital.↩︎