Skip to main content

‘You Too Can Have Statistics Like Mine’: Some Economic Comparisons

  • Chapter
  • 10 Accesses

Abstract

A few years after the Second World War a book appeared in England with the promising title We Too Can Prosper. 1 It emerged from inquiries undertaken by the Anglo-American Council on Productivity into American methods of industrial production, seeking ways and means to improve British economic efficiency. The proposition of the book was explicit: the post-war British economy was seriously ill; the prescriptions for recovery were to come from the United States. If we in Britain failed to take the medicine, the author foresaw ‘an accelerating, and ultimately catastrophic, fall in our standards of living’.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   74.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  • P. Ehrlich, The Population Bomb (1968). The best-seller that persuaded many Americans that their country was overpopulated.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. J. N. den Hollander and S. Skard, American Civilization: An Introduction (1968), esp. ch. 3 (‘Economic Structure’) and ch. 4 (‘Social Structure’).

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Jackson, H. A. Turner and F. Wilkinson, Do Trade Unions Cause Inflation? (1972). A discussion of the problem from British and international viewpoints.

    Google Scholar 

  • W. E. Rappard, The Secret of American Prosperity (1955). An assessment by a Swiss writer of the mainsprings of American economic success.

    Google Scholar 

  • E. Stillman and others, L’Envol de la France dans les Anneés 80 (1973). Published by the European Institute of the Hudson Institute, with introduction by Herman Kahn. A report predicting that by 1985 Britain’s per capita GNP will be half that of France.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Kingdom, Central Statistical Office, Annual Abstract of Statistics; Monthly Digest of Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations, Statistical Yearbook (annual). Gives statistics of population, production, trade, etc., for most countries of the world.

    Google Scholar 

  • United States, President, Economic Report of the President together with the Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisers (annually in January for previous year). Invaluable for most recent American economic statistics and for discussion of economic performance and problems in preceding year.

    Google Scholar 

  • United States, Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States. Annual volume of American statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • B. A. Weisbrod (ed.), The Economics of Poverty: An American Paradox (1966). Essays by leading economists on social and economic aspects of poverty, with discussion of suggested remedies.

    Google Scholar 

  • E. S. Woytinsky, Profile of the U.S. Economy (1967). An examination of many aspects of the American economy, with maps, tables and charts.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 1974 Jim Potter

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Potter, J. (1974). ‘You Too Can Have Statistics Like Mine’: Some Economic Comparisons. In: Rose, R. (eds) Lessons from America. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-01702-7_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics