Sectoral analyses are needed to apprehend the specific characteristics of each industry and the interdependencies between industries in the economy.
Input-output tables are a tool of choice for such analyses. More specifically, they can be used as an instrument to carry out:
analyses of the production and cost patterns of branches;
analyses of the interdependence of industries;
impact studies.
The input-output tables have thus been used to estimate the direct and accumulated effects of the dioxin crisis and of the Sabena bankruptcy.
Linking the input-output tables with the Social Accounting Matrix adds qualitative aspects to the analyses.
Elsewhere, the use of the environmental accounts provides interesting sectoral applications. Comparison between the different environmental accounts (AEA, Energy Use Account, EPEA, etc.) and the combination of environmental data with (macro) economic indicators (from the IOT for example) open new perspectives.
