Regional Programme for Economic Statistics: Capacity Screening Results

Zeynep Orhun Girard

Regional Seminar on Developing a Programme for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA and Supporting Statistics in the ECO member countries

Ankara, TurkeySeptember 2013

We all know that We all know that economic policy economic policy decisions are made with decisions are made with incomplete and unreliable incomplete and unreliable information in many countries in information in many countries in Asia and the Pacific.Asia and the Pacific.

About Capacity Screening• Developed by the Steering Group as a rapid

assessment tool based on RPES and Core Set

• Provides a baseline for the implementation of the Core Set of Economic Statistics

• 48 out of 58 ESCAP member countries responded (March-May 2013)

• Analysis is done at the regional and sub-regional levels. Results are presented in national summary sheets for each respondent

• 2 advocacy reports (for development partners and countries) are in preparation

Structure of Capacity Screening• RPES Technical Cooperation (existing

capacity building agreements and interest)• Institutional setting (legislation, planning,

national statistical coordination and dissemination and advocacy for economic statistics)

• Information technology and Human Resources

• Statistical infrastructure (quality assurance, metadata, BR, data collection instruments

• Availability of Core Set of Economic Statistics (based on the seven components)

15 countries don’t have a centralised BR 21 countries don’t have a Quality Assessment

Framework available and used to monitor quality of economic statistics outputs

15 countries feel they have adequate HR to produce and disseminate the Core Set of Economic Statistics

23 countries carry out an economic census 20 countries produce quarterly GDP (e) 10 countries produce monthly commodity price

index 13 countries produce annual productivity measures 23 countries produce annual integrated national

accounts 7 countries are able to produce indicators related

to natural resources

Regional facts from the Capacity Screening

What about ECO respondents?• Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan,

Tajikistan and Turkey responded• 4 respondents considered upper middle

income countries and one as low income country by the WB

• Pakistan and Turkey are on Steering Group for RPES and 2 out of remaining 3 countries are interested in participating in RPES, as a provider or receiver of technical assistance

Statistical law and strategy• Legislation

– Principles of confidentiality, transparency and independence from political pressures are covered in the statistical laws of all countries

– 3 countries have plans for revising their statistical law

• 4 countries have statistical strategic plan; one is in the process of designing

National statistical coordinationFigure 1: Level of Centralization

3 1 2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Number of Countries

Centralized Semi-centralized Decentralized

• All but one country stated that the distribution of responsibilities among agencies was clear and that there are plans of improving coordination

Dissemination and advocacyAll countries responded:• Dissemination procedures in place and regular

assistance to users available• Ongoing activities to improve awareness and

use economic statistics from official sources• Ongoing activities to build analytical/research

capacities, develop data analysis methodologies targeting users

• Sufficient awareness among users of relevance of statistics for economic policy

• Seminars regularly organized by producers of economic statistics

IT and human resources

• All but one country reported that IT and human resources were adequate for producing the Core Set of Economic Statistics

• Staff manuals and guidelines are available for internal use in all countries

• Internal processes documented for referencing and use by new staff in all countries

Statistical infrastructure• All countries provide metadata in statistical

releases• All but 2 countries have a centralized metadata

repository and implement a metadata format standard

• Only 2 countries implement a metadata quality standard

• In 3 countries the use of BR is shared by a number of agencies

• NOE and informal economy not in key data collections in 2 countries

• All participate in ICP

Figure 2: Frequency of Collection for Questions 4.5 - 4.9

0

1

2

3

4

5

National Accounts Balance of P ayments Labour Force Survey Household Income &Expenditure Survey

Enterprise/EstablishmentSurvey

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ou

ntr

ies

Monthly Quarterly Annually Other

Figure 3: Timeliness of Reporting for Questions 4.5 - 4.8

0

1

2

3

4

National Accounts Balance of Payments Labour Force Survey Household Income &Expenditure Survey

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ou

ntr

ies

Less than three Three to five Six to nine Ten to Twelve

Figure 4: Frequency of Collection for Questions 4.10 - 4.12

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Population Census Economic Census Agricultural Census

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ou

ntr

ies

Every five years Every ten years Ad-hoc

Figure 5: Timeliness of Reporting 4.9 - 4.12

0

1

2

3

Enterprise/EstablishmentSurvey

Population Census Economic Census Agricultural Census

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ou

ntr

ies

Less than six Six to eleven Twelve to twenty-three Twenty-four or more

Standards/Classifications• All countries implement 1993 SNA and have

plans to update to 2008 SNA• Tajikistan ISIC Rev.2, Turkey ISIC Rev.3, and

Pakistan ISIC Rev.4• Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan NACE Rev. 2,

aligned with ISIC Rev.4• Tajikistan and Turkey plan to update to CPC

Ver.2 from a CIS classification and CPC Ver.1.0 • Kazakhstan has a national classification based

on CPA 2008• Pakistan uses CPC Ver.2• All countries use COICOP and COFOG

Table 11: Prices and Costs Desired M B A U X

Consumer price index (CPI) Quarterly 6 0 0 0 0

Producer price index (PPI) Quarterly 6 0 0 0 0

Commodity price index Monthly 1 0 0 2 3

External merchandise trade price indices Monthly 2 1 0 1 2

Wages / Earnings data Quarterly 6 0 0 0 0

Labour costs index / Wage index Quarterly 2 0 0 1 3

Table 12: Demand and Output Desired M B A O U XGDP (Production) Quarterly 5 1 0 0 0 0

GDP (Expenditure) Quarterly 4 2 0 0 0 0

External Trade – Merchandise Monthly 6 0 0 0 0 0

External Trade – Services Quarterly 5 1 0 0 0 0

Short-term Indicators – Industry Output Quarterly 3 0 1 0 0 2

Short-term Indicators – Services Output Quarterly 1 0 1 0 1 3

Short-term Indicators – Consumer Demand Quarterly 1 0 1 0 1 3

Short-term Indicators – Fixed Investment Quarterly 3 0 1 0 1 1

Short-term Indicators – Inventories Quarterly 1 0 1 0 2 2

Economy structure statistics Every 5 years 4 0 0 0 0 2

Productivity Annually 3 0 0 0 0 3

Table 13: Income and Wealth Desired M B A O U X

Integrated National Accounts Annually 3 0 0 0 1 2

Institutional Sector Accounts Annually 3 0 0 0 2 1

Balance of Payments (BOP) Quarterly 6 0 0 0 0 0

International Investment Position (IIP) Annually 5 0 0 0 1 0

External debt Quarterly 5 0 0 1 0 0

Income distributionEvery 5

years 4 0 0 0 0 2

Table 14: Money, Labour and Government Desired M B A U X

Assets/liabilities of depository corporations Monthly 3 0 0 0 3

Broad money and credit aggregates Monthly 3 1 0 0 2

Interest rate statistics Monthly 5 1 0 0 0

General government operations Quarterly 5 1 0 0 0

General government debt Quarterly 5 1 0 0 0

Labour supply and demand Annually 4 0 1 0 1

Hours worked Quarterly 5 0 0 0 1

Natural resources Annually 0 0 1 3 2

To conclude

• Half of ECO member countries have not responded so the picture remains partial

• Every country has weaknesses and strengths

• There are subjective questions, e.g. adequacy of IT and HR

• The Core Set information gives us a broad picture of where things are at

• In planning activities other assessments such as the GA will be used to supplement the information with further detail

Thank you!

http://www.unescap.org/stat/econ