Costing and pricing of statistical products: An overview of practices in ECE member countries

Issue title: Marketing of Statistics

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rivet, J.-P.

Affiliations: Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, 30 avenue Corentin Cariou, 75930 Paris Cedex 19, France

Abstract: An overview of practices is given in ECE member countries about costing and pricing of statistical products. Although the research of good cost information is common to all countries, there are still great differences in the accuracy of costs calculation. The same is valid for their utilization. As for the pricing of statistical products (publications, “tailor made statistics”, databanks), the general policy is to charge only at marginal cost, the involved costs for data collecting and data processing being considered as already paid by the tax payers. The setting of fees for the utilization of databanks remains the most difficult one.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1991-83-414

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 8, no. 3-4, pp. 345-351, 1991