1. Balancing the Need of Future Revisions with resources of the the National Statistical Offices By Robert P. Parker, Consultant on Federal Statistics Discussant: Kirsten Wismer, Statistics Denmark

2.  After 2008 SNA  International Comparability?  Use of less than reliable source data?  Quality of the quarterly National Accounts  Funding  Never good  General tendency to reduce government spending  Process for SNA 95 and 2008 SNA did not include cost and available data  Use of cost-benefit analysis to select new changes  Purpose  To remain National Account data relevant and more consistent between countries Background 2

3.  Major priority for UNSC  Timely and comprehensive implementation  Goal is the complete SNA in all countries  Efforts to follow up in the implementation  UN Guidelines to monitor – results?  UN-Friend of the chair concerning the 1993 SNA (2012) -Limited political support and unavailability of basic economic statistics  ISWGNA March 2015 -NA-data in almost all member states but only 55% with a time lag of T-1 -Only 45% provide minimum data -1993 SNA or 2008 SNA implemented with conceptual compl. in 85% -A number of member states only partly introduced 2008 SNA  Missing implementation information on important changes  R&D is implemented widespread, but is very difficult to implement -Split between volume and prices, reliable source data and timeliness  Goods sent abroad for processing -Need for new data - how does the countries implement this? Implementation of 2008 SNA 3

4.  Never good but it seems worsening  Examples from USA, UK, Canada and Australia  Official statistics and big data?  Cost of implementation needs to be given more consideration in the future revisions of the SNA  In USA new data collections must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget  Require a formal cost-benefit or regulatory impact analysis  To determine whether benefits justify the costs Funding of statistical programs 4

5.  Partly included in the Research Agenda of the 2008 SNA  How urgent and important to ensure that the SNA continues to stay relevant? -benefit for users  How widespread are the consequences of change and how complicated will implementation be? -costs of developing new estimates  Is the topic completely new or has much of the preparation for considering the item been completed? -benefit of having existing estimates such as those prepared for a satellite account  Widespread consultation and involvement of both compilers and users -people with experience with the change provide advice on costs and benefits  But do not deal with issue of what constitutes implementation of a change  Are new data sources needed for the change -Annual -Quarterly  Necessary requirement for calculate the cost of a change A cost-benefit analysis for SNA changes? 5

6.  Expand reporting of the implementation of 2008 SNA on major changes -Timeliness and reliability of the source data -Estimation methods of benchmarks, annual and quarterly estimates – both current prices and volume  Identify changes from 2008 SNA or previous for example illegal production - Have the implementation improved relevance? - Have the implementation improves international comparability? - Identify changes for rescission or move to a satellite account  Next SNA revisions -Expand reporting as under first bullit -Be more concrete in defining implementation - specify major changes and use key aggregates  Further SNA revisions -Conduct cost benefit analysis for each proposed changes -Used them to make the priority of wishes Recommendations 6

7.  International comparability? -EU: implementation by law, Eurostat follows up -UN: do we lack a forum for those who have hands on regarding? Should it be an ongoing activity – and not only for the next SNA?  Shall we develop a quality assessment system – and not only concentrate on the new changes - to help our users to understand the National Accounts data?  More extensive use of satellite accounts –and consider elimination of parts that have not been well implemented. -How shall we explain that a more simple system will be a better tool in a more complicated world? -Will the core National Accounts stay relevant?  I support your idea of taking new sources into account -How shall we involve statisticians from other statistical subjects to discuss new changes in the NA? -How can we secure that the speed on introducing new concepts will not be decided by the slowest country?  How compare cost and benefits world wide? Comments 7