ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATIONS Advanced course Day 1 – first morning session Basic principles of classifications Zsófia Ercsey - KSH – Hungary Marie-Madeleine Fuger - INSEE – France Hans Van Hooff - CBS - Netherlands THE CONTRACTOR IS ACTING UNDER A FRAMEWORK CONTRACT CONCLUDED WITH THE COMMISSION
Session Plan Definition Characteristics Classification types International system of statistical classifications Historical background Bodies involved in economic classifications
Definition of a classification It is a way to organize a universe in an unambiguous (unequivoqual) and structured way It is a reference tool for people dealing with the same domain Coordination Harmonization (same language) But, also a certain vision of the universe
What is a classification ? Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 A classification is a tree-structure of successive partitions strictly linked
A tree structure The universe Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Classification types Flat classification vs hierarchical classification One level vs several levels Items defined in extension vs Items defined in comprehension Central classification vs dedicated classification
Construction criteria Definition of the scope aka universe or coverage Definition of grouping criteria Principle of homogeneity --► Lowest variance within the group and highest variance among groups Relevance Revision / update issues 7
Components of a classification Code (choice of coding system) Headings (or title) Explanatory notes Includes Includes also Item X Excludes Rules Correspondence tables
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