Implementation of
the 2008 SNA in
the OECD
Charles Aspden
Working Party on National
Accounts, October 2008
Implementation of 2008 SNA
OECD (as of October 2007)
Country
Intentions
Australia
2009 for most, if not all, changes
Canada
2012/13 for all changes
US
2012/13 for most (outstanding) changes
EU
2014
Korea
2014?
Japan
2015?
New Zealand no schedule yet, but all changes at once
Mexico
no schedule yet, but introduced piecemeal
Switzerland, Iceland and Norway same as EU
Turkey?
Implementation of 2008 SNA
Summary
• Australia, Canada and US have quite firm plans to
introduce the update SNA quite rapidly.
• All three intend to adopt at least all the major proposed
changes, including
– Employers’ pension schemes (2),
– R&D (9),
– Government and non-market producers – cost of
capital (16),
– Military expenditures (19).
• Australia and Canada more or less all at once
• US staggered introduction
Implementation of 2008SNA
Summary
• Australia has published an information paper
(Introduction of revised international
standards in ABS economic standards Cat No.
5310.0.55.001) describing its intentions.
• Japan and Korea have tentative plans to
synchronise their adoptions of the updated SNA
and SICs in 2015 and 2014, respectively.
• NZ and Mexico have no firm plans
• Any updates?
Achieving consistent and
internationally comparable national
accounts
• Proposal to CSTAT :
–formulating a strategy to ensure
comparability of data
–developing handbooks and
manuals
–defining a research agenda for
the OECD WPNA
Formulating a strategy to ensure
comparability of data
• Accepted that countries will implement the 2008 SNA at
different times and there will be a lack of comparability
during the transition.
• Countries should undertake a one-off exercise to
quantify and publish the impact of the update on their
major aggregates. To be included in metadata on OECD
databases.
• Countries should supply data to the Secretariat as per
either 1993 or 2008 SNA
• Promote comparability between European and nonEuropean countries by the latter commenting on draft
ESA.
Developing handbooks and
manuals
• The OECD is producing a
– revised edition of the Manual on Measuring
Capital,
– a Handbook on Deriving Capital Measures
of Intellectual Property Products ,
– and a Handbook on the Measurement of
Volume Output of Health and Education.
Defining a research agenda for
the OECD WPNA
• OECD WPNA will have two streams of
work concerned with 2008 SNA
– 2008 SNA implementation issues:
• Identify major issues, countries undertake
investigations, especially the early adopters, and
report to WPNA
– Address issues on the research agenda:
• Identify ones that should be pursued quickly and
develop a work programme. May require setting up
task forces. Discuss next meeting?
CSTAT Response
• It expressed support for the overall OECD
strategy for the SNA revision, while expressing
concern that the implementation by countries is
not taking place quickly enough.
• It accepted the need to supply estimates
according to both old and new standards for one
period (according to SNA 1993 and 2008
definitions) while the adoption of the new
standard takes place.
CSTAT Response
• It also asked countries to report data in
compliance with the new standard should they
decide not to do so in their own publications.
• It noted that the preferred set of estimates was
still to be determined.
• It suggested that the new Bureau should discuss
the issue of different timings in the
implementation of 2008 SNA by individual
OECD countries, including a possible Council
recommendation on the scheduled
implementation.
Conclusion
• Countries should adopt the 2008 SNA as quickly
as they can. An important factor is international
comparability
• Countries should undertake a one-off exercise to
quantify and publish the impact of the update
on their major aggregates.
• Supply data as per 1993 or 2008 SNA
• Countries to report investigations into dealing
with major changes
• Start thinking about the research agenda