ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to developing and applying the framework of the social accounting matrix (SAM) as an analytical tool in evaluating the performance of economic systems. We shall begin in this section by laying out basic elements of an evaluation framework, reviewing alternative analytical frameworks, and finishing up by choosing the SAM as a comprehensive and an easily workable model for evaluating comparable economies. Once this is done, the chapter will apply a comparative analysis of the economic performances of the Russian and Chinese economies in the midst of their economic transitions.
