What defines an international statistical standard and other types of international statistical publications in economic statistics? Second Meeting of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Environmental-Economic Accounting (New York, 5-6 July 2007)

Outline of presentation Background Statistical frameworks Criteria to define an international standard or international recommendation Actions after adoption Taxonomy for publications in economic accounting and statistics including environmental-economic accounting and statistics

Background There is often confusion with what is meant with the term a) international statistical standard, b) international recommendation, c) guideline, handbook or manual. First attempt to systematize the terminology used for the various types of methodological publications Taxonomy is developed for publications in economic accounting and statistics including environmental-economic accounting and statistics

Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks Output frameworks Macroeconomic frameworks (e.g. SNA, System of Price and Volume Indexes, BPM) Agreed concepts, definitions, classifications Inter-related tables or accounts for broad sets of statistics For the whole economy System approach to statistics Intermediate frameworks (e.g. International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics) Agreed concepts, definitions and classifications Agreed lists of data items to be collected and published Not necessarily for whole economy No system approach

Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks (cont.) Cross-functional frameworks Building blocks in support of the organization of the tables and accounts of macroeconomic frameworks Conceptual frameworks for classifications, statistical units and sample frames that support the collection and reporting of economic activities of production, consumption and accumulation For the whole economy e.g. ISIC, statistical units, sample frames

Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks (cont.) Best practices from countries and provide operational guidance on how to populate the standard tables or accounts of the international statistical standard or collect/compile the data items in the international recommendations. Existing differences in data collection practices and institutional arrangements in countries prevent international agreement on methodologies

Criteria to define international statistical standard or an international recommendation Statistical integration Internal coherence of concepts, definitions, classifications and tables and accounts External consistency among macroeconomic frameworks, cross-functional frameworks and intermediate output frameworks Broad institutional process of consultation National and international consultations of stakeholders Relevance Universal applicability of the compiled and disseminated data for use of policy planning, analysis and administration purposes

Actions with adoption of an international statistical standard and an international recommendation Development of an implementation programme Development of compilation guidelines Development of databases Collection of best practices Development of data quality frameworks Newsletter

Taxonomy for publications in economic accounting and statistics

Taxonomy for publications in environmental-economic accounting and statistics