Description
Book Synopsis
Despite the size, complexity and importance of the construction industry, there has been little study to date which focuses on the challenge of drawing reliable conclusions from the available data. The accuracy of industry reports has an impact on government policy, the direction and outcomes of research and the practices of construction firms, so confusion in this area can have far reaching consequences.
In response to this, Measuring Construction looks at fundamental economic theories and concepts with respect to the construction industry, and explains their merits and shortcomings, sometimes by looking at real life examples. Drawing on current research the contributors tackle:
- industry performance
- productivity measurement
- construction in national accounts
Trade Review
"In their endnote, the editors assert that "much that is written about construction prices, output, productivity and the rest is unreliable or plainly wrong". Their book is a helpful antidote. While offering more than a typical textbook for undergraduate courses, it should appeal to more than researchers in the field and deserves a broader readership." – Construction Economics and Building, Jan Bröchner, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
"The book is highly recommended for everyone, academics as well as practitioners, who engages in international price and cost comparisons and/or in performance benchmarking in construction." - Bernard Vogl (2015), Construction Management and Economics, 33:9, 775-777,
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Setting the scene 2. Background to Purchasing Power Parity Indices 3. International construction cost comparisons 4. The International Comparison Program and purchasing power parities for construction 5. A Review of Construction Cost and Price Indices in Britain 6. Measuring and comparing construction activity internationally 7. Internationalization of the construction industry 8. Performance measures for construction 9. Refining the citiBLOC Index 10. A review of the theory and measurement techniques of productivity in the construction industry 11. Construction Productivity and Cost Estimation using Artificial Neural Networks 12. Determining levels of productivity in the construction industry using Data Envelopment Analysis 13. Endnote
