## Use of Third-Party Indicators in Fund Reports

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Use of Third-Party Indicators in Fund Reports](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/policy-papers/issues/2017/11/22/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicator)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/publications/policy-papers/issues/2017/11/22/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicator/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/policy-papers/issues/2017/11/22/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicator/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/publications/policy-papers/issues/2017/11/22/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicator/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Published: November 22, 2017

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### Overview
- Fund staff use indicators developed by other organizations as input into analysis in surveillance and, to a lesser extent, in program work.
- These third-party indicators (TPIs) measure concepts such as business environment, competitiveness, and quality of governance.
- Staff are expected to continue drawing on other institutions’ expertise and estimates, consistent with Executive Board guidance where internal expertise is lacking or limited.

### Rationale and Scope
- Continued efforts to foster global economic and financial stability require staff to work with indicators drawn from numerous third-party compilers.
- The TPIs used are of varied qualities, which places a premium on staff understanding of the TPIs to:
  - add analytical value,
  - avoid flawed conclusions and presentation,
  - support traction with the membership.
- The framework described will apply to all documents that are subject to the Fund’s Transparency Policy. Staff are encouraged to follow similar guidelines for other Fund documents.

### Framework and Good Practices
- The paper outlines a framework to promote best practice with respect to use of TPIs in Fund reports.
- The framework draws on:
  - lessons from current practice in the Fund,
  - practices from other selected international organizations (IOs),
  - insights from the application of an adapted data quality assessment framework (DQAF) to a subset of TPIs commonly used by Fund staff.
- Common good practices across IOs include emphasis on:
  - staff judgment,
  - review,
  - consultation with stakeholders.

### Application and Implications
- Application of the adapted DQAF to commonly used TPIs provides insights to improve TPI use in Fund reports.
- The framework aims to ensure that use of TPIs enhances analytical quality and preserves credibility with member countries.

*Use of Third-Party Indicators in Fund Reports, November 22, 2017.*

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## Content in this bundle

- **Policy Paper**
  - [Policy Paper (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/pp/2017/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicators-in-fund-reports.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Policy Paper (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/pp/2017/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicators-in-fund-reports.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/policy-papers/issues/2017/11/22/pp101217use-of-third-party-indicator_