Considerations for future revisions of SNA Statistics Denmark

1
Considerations for future revisions of
SNAStatistics Denmark

• High Level Forum for the Long-Term Development of
  the SNA
• 17-18 November 2008
• Session 4

2
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

3
SNA the most important international
statistical standard

• Important macroeconomic measure
• Used by experts and the public
• Relevant to users
• information on many aspects
• consistent time series
• international comparability
• easy to use
• Multipurpose dataset
• growth economics
• business cycle analysis
• structural analysis
• economic welfare
• Stable over time

4
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

5
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

6
Need for stability in international standards

• Confusion
• Long implementation period
• Many users against data revisions
• Expensive to make changes
• Consider benefits and cost

7
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

8
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