Measuring the material base of the contemporary east‐west balance of power

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Abstract
There has been considerable progress in estimating the powerof nations, particularly with regard to the material capabilities upon which influence in conflictual situations depends. Two measures have dominated the field: the index of the Correlates of War (COW) project and gross national product (GNP). These indicators are consistent in the great majority of cases, but not for the United States and the Soviet Union after 1971. Gross national product seems more valid for this comparison primarily because the COW index no longer accurately measures industrialization and technological sophistication for the economically advanced countries. Consequently, the most important estimates of the U.S. and Soviet GNPs are surveyed in order to indicate the relative capabilities of the super powers. Some implications of the findings are considered.