In recent years, a number of proposals have highlighted how restrictive it is to use gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of well-being. This document takes up those criticisms and also showcases the limitations of GDP as a measure of output.
What GDP measures and what it excludes is a product of conventions that reflect androcentric biases. The failure to appraise natural resources and non-remunerated services produced by households results in a skewed perspective on the economy that focuses on markets and neglects other processes that are essential to human life.
The Latin American and …
Many international development agendas highlight the importance of quality data for sustainable development. With the advent of the data revolution for sustainable development, stakeholders have underscored the value of timely, usable data in informing decision-making and for monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes, be it in relation to national development planning or as regards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international development agendas. Crucially, the COVID-19 pandemic, more than anything else in recent times, has demonstrated the value of tim…
Changes of base or reference year in countries’ systems of national accounts are a normal part of statistical work. They are an opportunity to incorporate into measurements, for the base year and those that follow or precede it, all the progress in concepts, methodologies and information sources that has occurred since the last estimate of gross domestic product (GDP). The System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA) recommends that this type of updating be carried out at least every five years to reflect the current behaviour of the different economic sectors, thereby providing better tools fo…
Los cambios de año base / de referencia en el sistema de cuentas nacionales de los países son un proceso habitual en el quehacer estadístico. Son ocasiones que permiten incorporar en la medición, para el año base y los que lo suceden anteceden, todos los progresos conceptuales, metodológicos y de fuentes de información que han ocurrido desde la última estimación del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB). El Sistema de Cuentas Nacionales (SCN 2008) recomienda que este tipo de actualización se realice mínimo cada 5 años de forma tal que refleje el comportamiento actualizado de los diferentes sectores eco…
Household surveys are widely used as a tool for obtaining information on people's socio-economic status and well-being. However, the accuracy of household survey estimates decreases significantly when it comes to making inferences for population groups who represent disaggregations for which the survey was not designed. It is possible, in this context, to use estimation processes that combine information from household surveys with existing auxiliary information at population level, such as censuses or administrative records. This paper offers a methodological guide to the combination of …
The global community claims to be committed to finding a solution to arresting rising global temperatures limiting global warming to well below 2 °C, preferably 1.5 °C (UNFCCC, 2022), to ensure that all life, livelihoods and the overall health and welfare of ecosystems animals and humans are secured (IPCC 2018). The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports paint a picture that shows increased intensity and frequency of climatic conditions and extreme events as emerging trends (IPCC 2018). Global warming beyond 1.5 °C will be devastating; in fact, projections show at 2 °C warming ma…
The nominal series of commodity exports and total exports, which form part of the recent update of information in CEPALSTAT and are available for consultation, show the pressures on natural resources in Latin America and the Caribbean.…
Las series nominales de exportaciones de productos primarios y exportaciones totales, que forman parte de la reciente actualización de información en CEPALSTAT y disponible para su consulta, permiten identificar las presiones a los recursos naturales en América Latina y el Caribe.…
Representatives of Latin American and Caribbean countries’ national statistics offices reaffirmed the importance of generating more and better data for decision-making and thereby giving visibility to the various problems that exist in the region, during the closing session of the twenty-first meeting of the Executive Committee of the Statistical Conference of the Americas, which concluded today at the central headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.
The event drew the participation of delegations from 28 of ECLAC’s Member States a…
Representantes de las oficinas nacionales de estadística de los países de América Latina y el Caribe reafirmaron hoy la importancia de generar más y mejores datos para la toma de decisiones y así hacer visibles las distintas problemáticas que existen en la región, durante la clausura de la vigesimoprimera reunión del Comité Ejecutivo de la Conferencia Estadística de las Américas (CEA), que culminó hoy en la sede central de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) en Santiago, Chile.
En el encuentro participaron delegaciones de 28 Estados miembros de la CEPAL y de 4 miembro…
Representatives of national statistics institutes from Latin America and the Caribbean called today for deepening statistical cooperation at a regional and international level to meet the growing demand for timely and quality data and information for a sustainable and egalitarian recovery, during the inauguration of the twenty-first meeting of the Executive Committee of the Statistical Conference of the Americas (SCA) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Participating in this intergovernmental gathering – which is taking place through Thursday, August 25 at E…
Representantes de los institutos nacionales de estadística de América Latina y el Caribe llamaron hoy a profundizar la cooperación estadística a nivel regional e internacional para atender la creciente demanda de datos e información oportuna y de calidad para una recuperación sostenible e igualitaria, durante la inauguración de la vigesimoprimera reunión del Comité Ejecutivo de la Conferencia Estadística de las Américas (CEA) de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
En el encuentro intergubernamental, que se celebra hasta el jueves 25 en la sede central de la CEPAL en …
Representantes dos institutos nacionais de estatística da América Latina e do Caribe instaram hoje a aprofundar a cooperação estatística no âmbito regional e internacional para atender a crescente demanda de dados e informação oportuna e de qualidade para uma recuperação sustentável e igualitária, durante a abertura da Vigésima Primeira Reunião do Comitê Executivo da Conferência Estatística das Américas (CEA) da Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL).
No encontro intergovernamental, realizado na sede central da CEPAL em Santiago, Chile, participam 28 Estados membros e quat…
The complexity of the climate crisis in the Caribbean necessitates a data-based response on a global, regional, national and local level, according to the specialists gathered today at a subregional seminar entitled Strengthening environment, climate change and disaster information in the Caribbean, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in collaboration with PARIS21.
During the event, which concludes on Wednesday, August 24, representatives of national statistics offices and the Environment Ministries of Caribbean countries, as well as international s…
La complejidad de la crisis climática en el Caribe exige una respuesta basada en datos a nivel global, regional, nacional y local, coincidieron hoy especialistas reunidos en el seminario subregional Fortaleciendo la información sobre medio ambiente, cambio climático y desastres en el Caribe, organizado por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) en colaboración con PARIS21.
Durante el evento, que culmina el miércoles 24, representantes de las oficinas nacionales de estadística y los Ministerios de Medio Ambiente de los países del Caribe, así como especialistas internacion…