International Statistical Standards and Economic Publications: A Taxonomy Approach

1. 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)

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks (cont.) Input frameworks • 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Taxonomy for publications in economic accounting and statistics

10. Taxonomy for publications in environmental-economic accounting and statistics