IMF Working Papers

Data Consistency in IMF Publications: Country Staff Reports Versus International Financial Statistics

By John Cady, Anthony J. Pellechio

March 1, 2005

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John Cady, and Anthony J. Pellechio Data Consistency in IMF Publications: Country Staff Reports Versus International Financial Statistics, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2005) accessed December 12, 2024
Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

Data published in IMF country staff reports and International Financial Statistics (IFS) may differ for identical variables and, at times, users may be unaware of the reasons for these differences and lack the information needed to permit reconciliation. Such discrepancies stem principally from differences in the objectives of IMF country staff reports and their data requirements, on the one hand, and IFS, on the other. This paper presents the results of a study of the consistency of annual data on core statistical indicators required for Fund surveillance presented in the IMF's IFS and a sample of recently published Article IV consultation reports. The paper finds a significant incidence of apparent discrepancies for similarly defined variables.

Subject: Bank credit, Current account balance, International reserves, Monetary base, Public debt

Keywords: Country, Government, Information, Nominal GDP, Staff report, WP

Publication Details

  • Pages:

    27

  • Volume:

    ---

  • DOI:

    ---

  • Issue:

    ---

  • Series:

    Working Paper No. 2005/046

  • Stock No:

    WPIEA2005046

  • ISBN:

    9781451860658

  • ISSN:

    1018-5941