The Role of Distribution in the American Economy By Harold Barger

The Role of Distribution in the American Economy
By Harold Barger

2003/09 - Beard Books
1587981971 - Paperback - Reprint - 240 pp.
US$34.95

Economists and business historians especially will find this volume informative and interesting.

This study focuses on the changing role of distribution in the nation's economy and covers the period 1869 to 1950. It addresses such questions as "Has the output, i.e., the services it renders to the consumer, kept pace with the growth of the economy?" The book is divided into two parts, one dealing with trends in employment and output, and the other covering the history of distribution cost. The emphasis is on quantitative measurement, combined with an interesting discussion of the nature and direction of the economic sector.

Harold Barger, 1907-1989, was an educator and economist. He was a Professor of Economics at Columbia University from 1939 to 1989. He was also a member of the research staff of the National Bureau of Economic Research and is well known for his published studies of output, employment, and productivity.

Acknowledgment			vii
Foreword			ix
PART ONE: TRENDS IN EMPLOYMENT AND OUTPUT
1.	Distribution's Growing Share of the Labor Force		3
	Commodity production and commodity distribution		6
	Aspects of distribution's growth since 1869		9
	Labor input measured in man-hours		10
	The share of wholesale trade		14
	Women in distribution		15
	Part-time and unpaid family workers		16
	Summary		19
2.	How Fast Did Output Expand?		20
	Goods distributed		20
		Commodity output	20
		Output of finished goods	24
		Finished goods sold through retail stores	25
		Reweighting by distribution cost	26
		Summary	27
	Services rendered by distribution		28
		Services furnished and functions performed	29
		Store facilities	29
		Service at point of sale	31
		Packaging and minor processing	31
		Free home trial of merchandise	32
		Return privileges	33
		Credit	33
		Delivery	35
		"Adjustments"	36
		Summary	36
3.	Productivity and Its Measurement		37
	Productivity and employment		41
	Reliability of productivity measures		42
	Growth of productivity and the cost of distribution		44
	Interpretation of results		49
	Summary		52
PART TWO: THE HISTORY OF DISTRIBUTION COST
4.	Measures of the Cost of Distribution		55
	1869-1929: Commodity-output method		56
		All commodities retailed	56
		Consumable commodities	58
	1929-1948: Volume-of-sales method		60
	Has distribution cost increased?		61
	Distribution cost and national product		63
5.	The Changing Channels of Distribution		65
	The flow through the system, 1869-1929		66
	Rise and decline of the wholesaler		69
	The flow through the system, 1929-1948		70
	Accuracy of the results		78
		The problem of absolute size	78
		The understatement of trends	79
		Summary	79
6.	Trends in Margins		80
	Retail margins		80
	Wholesale margins		83
	Sources of data		85
	Census inquiries		85
	Other published information		86
	Unpublished records		87
	Summary		90
7.	Measures of Spread by Kind of Outlet		91
	The dispersion of costs		93
	Trends in distributive spread		95
	Summary		97
APPENDIXES
A.	Employment, Earnings and Labor Income in Distribution and Commodity Production		101
	Employment in distribution		101
	Employment in commodity production		105
	Sales employees not in distribution		106
	Hourly earnings in distribution and commodity production		108
	Estimation of labor income from value added		108
B.	Procedures Used in Estimating Value Added by Distribution		112
	Classification of retail outlets		112
	Estimates for 1869 to 1929		114
	Reclassification by retail outlet: who sold what		116
	Allocation to wholesaling versus direct purchases		118
	Double Wholesaling		120
	Estimates of retail sales		122
	Estimates for 1929, 1939, 1948		122
	Discrepancy between estimates for 1929		123
	Kuznet's explanation		123
	Some further considerations		125
C.	Sources of Margin Data		152
D.	Bibliography of Periodicals in Retail and Wholesale Trade to 1919		198
	Index		217