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, Turkey
September 2013
We all know that economic policy decisions
are made with incomplete and unreliable
information in many countries in 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 subregional 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)
Regional facts from the Capacity Screening
 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
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 coordination
Figure 1: Level of Centralization
Centralized
Semi-centralized
3
0
1
Decentralized
1
2
3
2
4
5
6
Number of Countries
• All but one country stated that the distribution of
responsibilities among agencies was clear and that
there are plans of improving coordination
Dissemination and advocacy
All 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
Number of Countries
5
4
3
2
1
0
Natio nal A cco unts
B alance o f P ayments Labo ur Fo rce Survey
Monthly
Quarterly
Ho useho ld Inco me & Enterprise/Establishment
Expenditure Survey
Survey
Annually
Other
Figure 3: Timeliness of Reporting for Questions 4.5 - 4.8
Number of Countries
4
3
2
1
0
National Accounts
Balance of Payments
Less than three
Three to five
Labour Force Survey
Six to nine
Household Income &
Expenditure Survey
Ten to Twelve
Figure 4: Frequency of Collection for Questions 4.10 - 4.12
Number of Countries
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Population Census
Economic Census
Every five years
Every ten years
Agricultural Census
Ad-hoc
Figure 5: Timeliness of Reporting 4.9 - 4.12
Number of Countries
3
2
1
0
Enterprise/Establishment
Survey
Less than six
Population Census
Six to eleven
Economic Census
Twelve to twenty-three
Agricultural Census
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
External merchandise trade
price indices
Monthly
1
0
0
2 3
Monthly
2
1
0
1 2
Wages / Earnings data
Labour costs index / Wage
index
Quarterly
6
0
0
0 0
Quarterly
2
0
0
1 3
Table 12: Demand and Output Desired
M B A O U X
GDP (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 distribution
Every 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