Page 77 - Revista del Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo del INEI - Economía, Sociedad y Estadística N° 9

or institutional obstacles that prevent NSOs and B. COMPILATION METHODS
central banks from accessing fiscal and social security
information sources, or the existence of data access Below are some questions about the estimation
barriers between those institutions, can affect the methods used or economic transactions which should
quality of the country’s economic statistics. be addressed.

iv. Promote and strengthen links with business 1. Output of collective and individual government
chambers or associations, relevant government services
ministries and experts familiar with how certain
6
industries in the country work, in order to also have - The measurement of output, intermediate
a qualitative opinion on the evolution of the most consumption and compensation at current prices
important product markets . is supported by data from the government budget ,
7
8
using the sum-of-costs method (input method) to
v. Consult the economic press, which usually carries measure output. In the context of the restrictions
interviews with business and business associations imposed, some services have been discontinued
leaders. Obviously, this information must be analysed and employees are quarantined and unable to
carefully because of the biases usually present in provide any services; however, the government has
the opinions expressed by these leaders in the continued to pay wages and salaries and purchase
current situation, in order to have greater access goods and services to be used as inputs.
to lines of credit from financial institutions or to
State subsidies. - In some countries, the measurement of the
volume of output or value added is based on the
vi. Follow up with those companies that have total number of jobs (the labour input method).
restructured their production basket to meet This method does not capture productivity. At the
the demand for supplies related to the health present time, some public services have increased
emergency. their output in terms of volume (for example, health
services linked to care during the pandemic or
vii. Compile information in a table to determine the security services); others have seen their activity
percentage of imputations made in relation to GDP, decrease (for example, other non-essential health
considering the sources used for value, price and services) or their working modality changed (such
volume indicators at the most granular level of as education or other services, which are being
products or industries. This should make it easier carried out online or remotely); and others may have
to identify problems associated with the sources been cancelled (some justice and administrative
and their weighting, by coding imputations in order services for example). The measures recommended
to pinpoint those carried out during the crisis, and for quantifying output volume that are based on
by incorporating production basket changes made the supply of products (output method), rather
in response to the situation. An example of such a than on inputs, — such as teaching hours received
table is given in annex 1. by students, health treatments broken down by
type of illness according to their costs, or number
of services provided by public administrations— are
difficult to apply in practice at the moment in some
countries owing to the lack of information.

6 For example, the ministries covering tourism, health, education and transport.
7 Qualitative data may also include, for example, figures illustrating sales’ trends or business development.
8 Preferably budget implementation information.
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