Transcript Considerations for future revisions of SNA Statistics Denmark High Level Forum for the Long-Term Development of the SNA 17-18 November 2008 Session 4

Considerations for future revisions
of SNA
Statistics Denmark
High Level Forum for the Long-Term Development of the SNA
17-18 November 2008
Session 4
Organization of the introduction
• SNA - the most important international
statistical standard
• National Accounts - a part of a statistical system
• National Accounts – close to observable facts
• Need for stability in international standards
• Lessons learnt from the update
• Proposals for future revisions
SNA – the most important international
statistical standard
• Important macroeconomic measure
– Used by experts and the public
• Relevant to users
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information on many aspects
consistent time series
international comparability
easy to use
• Multipurpose dataset
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growth economics
business cycle analysis
structural analysis
economic welfare
• Stable over time
National Accounts – part of a system
• SNA – principles is reflected in surveys
• National Accounts – a building bloc of a
coherent system of statistics
– from production
– from users
• Use the strength of each kind of statistics
• Satellite accounts
– a solution for special needs
– welfare, sustainable GDP, productivity in public sector
National Accounts – close to facts
• Minimize the number of imputations
– leave that to users with particular needs
• Minimize the importance of modelling
– when used keep the importance of the
variable low
• Minimize assumptions
– in conflict with quality principles for official
statistics
• Keep it simple
Need for stability in international standards
• Confusion
• Long implementation period
• Many users against data revisions
• Expensive to make changes
• Consider benefits and cost
Lessons learnt from the update
• World-wide involvement
• Clear scope (44 issues)
• Contemporary revision of BOP and
public finance
• Too short time to absorb the many
country comments
• Clear scope limited the process
• Too soon after SNA93
Proposals for future revisions
• No continuous updating
• Stability – 25 years between revisions
• Procedure and governance for the process laid
down up front
• Recommendations for the implementation
• Close cooperation with other statistical areas
• NA is a core of a broader system of statistics