[lbo-talk] Link II

[Patrick Bond]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Walker" <timework at telus.net>
> Trying to come to terms with the World Bank chart that Doug posted and the 
> EIA spreadsheet I was referring to I noticed that the World Bank presented 
> their GDP figures in 1995 PPP$ and their energy in kg of oil equivalent. 
> The EIA used 1995 US dollars at market exchange rates and Btus. I think it 
> is safe to assume that the energy conversions should work out the same 
> either way and that therefore the discrepency must be in the PPPs v. 
> market exchange rates. Since I was talking about imports to the US from 
> China, the market exchange rates makes more sense to me than PPP.

There's a superb discussion on this currency-conversion argument by Alan 
Freeman, in a new Pluto book he coedited with Boris Kagarlitsky (I can send 
the chapter if anyone wants it).