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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2014
Actuaries are closely interested in the economic state of the nation, both as ‘scientific financiers’ and as citizens of a democracy, but this interest involves them in a dilemma: although it is possible to obtain only a hazy picture of the whole, even by devoting all of one's time to the study of economic affairs, yet for the majority this subject can be only a sideline. Each actuary must therefore make his own decisions, first as to how much time he can spare, and second as to which aspects of the nation's economy he might most profitably study. These two decisions will depend on the particular actuary's interests and employment, and on the state of the nation's economy at the time.
This paper discusses one selection of economic data, comprehensive enough to give a reliable impression of the nation's economy, yet short enough to permit frequent examination.