Contact: nadim.ahmad@oecd.org

1. MEASURING THE SIZE OF THE PUBLIC SECTORMeeting user needs for improved data on public corporationsNational Accounts Working Party MeetingParis 4-6 November 2009 Contact: nadim.ahmad@oecd.org

2. Background • Delineation of government and public sector long-standing interest to policy makers • Recognised in new Chapter 22 of 2008 SNA • But recent events have heightened the need for more, and more comparable, information on the public sector – specifically, public corporations. • Of particular policy relevance are debt, deficit and employment statistics.

3. 2008 SNA • Provides detailed guidance but recognises that economic circumstances differ and so potential scope for different treatment exists. • Public corporations are those where government/public sector has ‘control’ and with most output provided atmarket prices. • EU countries adopt 50% rule for market-test and SNA provides rule-of-thumb for ownership (control) – 50%. • But it is not clear what most countries do in practice.

4. Responding to User Needs • OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs questionnaire. • OECD Directorate Workshop on Public Sector debt. • Eurostat Financial Accounts Working Group – voluntary data collection on PCs. • IMF Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide.

5. First Step • STD would like to: • Circulate Eurostat questionnaire to OECD non EU countries; and • Gain access to data already supplied to Eurostat

6. First Step

7. Following up • If support from delegates exists, STD would like to develop a follow-up questionnaire, with Eurostat, that targets: • Employees and further information on criteria used to determine control • The public domain concept – e.g. including private corporations where government is the key customer/funder or where government provides contingent guarantees. • And information on corporations where government has a significant but not controlling, stake