There is an article / research that I have been looking for that
studied / followed the value of transactions in an economic system.  I
believe the research / article was published by two french male
authors.  I believe they were french from france and not french
canadian, but they could have been french canadian.

I believe the article / research was performed within the last 3
years. The article focused on how the more things are bought and sold
and change hands within an economic system the more growth can occur.

I wish I had more to go on, but now you see why I've had trouble
finding it...
 
I believe the study was published in a professional journal, however
the synopsis that I read was in a "pop" scholar mag like the
Economist.  However I seem to remember that it wasn't anything as
mainstream as the Economist.

I believe what I read came out in either 2000 or 2001.  Also it is
"possible" that one of the industries that the study used was the real
estate industry, but I'm not sure about that.