Comparison of the balance sheets of Bulgaria and the national accounts of Finland

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ilieva, Jana^{1; 2} | Varjonen, Seppo³

Note: [1] The project that gave rise to this paper was carried out jointly between the Central Statistical Offices of the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Finland. In addition to the authors, Mr. Milcho Mladenov, Mr. Antero Pohjola, Ms. Vaska Spassova and Ms. Hilkka Vihavainen participated in the project.

Note: [2] Ms. Jana Ilieva studied economics at the Higher Institute of Economics “Karl Marx” in Sofia. She graduated in accountancy. She has been working in the Central Statistical Office since 1967. She was first hired as an expert on the elaboration of the indicators characterizing the income, expenditure and consumption of the population. Since 1980, she has been working on the problems of the Composite Financial Balance Sheet and the Balance of Services in the Non-material Sphere in the capacity of chief expert. Mrs Ilieva participated in the elaboration and updating of methodological issues of the Balance of National Economy within the framework of the CMEA Standing Committee for co-operation in the field of statistics. She also took part in multilateral comparisons of major value indicators, carried out by member countries of the CMEA.

Note: [3] Seppo Varjonen joined the Central Statistical Office of Finland in 1969. Working in the field of national accounting, he was incharge of input–output research from 1976 to 1982. Since then, he is responsible of the Finnish contribution to the International Comparison Project and of SNA/MPS comparisons.

Abstract: Methodological links between the Material Product System (MPS) and the System of National Accounts (SNA) facilitate international comparisons of national product and main economic aggregates. Conceptual frames for the linkage of the two national accounting systems have been prepared by the United Nations Statistical Office. These conceptual frames are being tested and further specified in a number of case studies. One of these studies was recently concluded between the Central Statistical Offices of Bulgaria and Finland. The type of problems arising in the linkage between SNA and MPS partly depends on the direction in which the related conversions are carried out. In moving from MPS to SNA, the main problems are encountered in the estimation of the production (and its subsequent consumption) from non-material industries. The main problem of SNA to MPS conversions resides in the separation of the material and non-material spheres.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1987-4406

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 395-410, 1987