Details
Start:
Mar 29, 2021
End:
Apr 16, 2021
Course Number:
STR21.08V
Application Deadline
Feb 5, 2021
Virtual : National Accounts Statistics (NAS)
March 29 - April 16
Target Audience
Compilers of national accounts statistics employed by agencies responsible for official national accounts data.
Qualifications
Participants should have a degree in economics or statistics or equivalent experience.
Course Description
This course, presented by the Statistics Department, covers theoretical and practical aspects in the compilation of national accounts statistics based on the conceptual framework of the System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA). The course consists of lectures covering methodological and compilation issues of the 2008 SNA and workshops consisting of practical exercises in compiling the accounts. The main aim of the course is to train participants in the compilation of annual gross domestic product both at current prices and in volume terms using the production and expenditure approaches, in support of better policy-making and surveillance. The course starts with an overview of the system of national accounts, presenting the sequence of accounts for transactions and other flows as well as balance sheets, with a focus on the framework of the 2008 SNA. It covers the main concepts involving transactions, other economic flows, stocks, institutional units, classifications, and main macroeconomic aggregates measured by the system. The main lectures and workshops include:
- sessions on the production account covering the definition and measurement of output, intermediate consumption, and value added; valuation issues; and the treatment of particular industries;
- source data and issues in the compilation of GDP by production and expenditure approaches;
- deflators and derivation of volume measures of GDP; and
- specific issues related to goods and services transactions, including supply and use framework, inventory valuation adjustment, consumption of fixed capital, non-observed and informal economy, global supply chains, and the digital economy.
Emphasis is also placed on sharing country experiences among the participants.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:
- Understand the main concepts and definitions of the SNA 2008.
- Describe the compilation of GDP using production, expenditure, and income approaches.
- Discuss the importance of price and volume measures in the national accounts.
- Explain the value of high-quality national accounts statistics to policy makers and business decision-makers.
