This paper discusses the development of public expenditure in the Netherlands since 1850. Why did public expenditure increase from 14% GDP in 1850, nearly 20% in 1921, 30% GDP in 1950 and over 60% GDP in 1983? Dutch public expenditure has fallen to less than 50% GDP in 2003. Why did this...

This paper describes the history of the national accounts starting from the incidental estimates by Petty, King and Davenant in the seventeenth century. The period 1930-1950 was a revolution in terms of the roles and uses of the national accounts, e.g. the discovery of input-output analysis,...

The official national accounts statistics do not show the role of human capital in the national economy. A set of satellite tables supplementing the standard national accounts statistics could serve this data need. In this satellite account, expenditure on education and training are recorded as...

This paper presents a modified national accounting system tailored to a description of Research and Development (R&D)in the national economy. The main differences with the standard national accounts are some changes in the basic concepts (e.g. own-account production of R&D is considered as...

In this paper, the relevance of national accounts statistics and their underlying conceptual framework is investigated for their four roles: description and object of analysis, tool for analysis and forecasting, tool for communication and decision-making and input for alternative accounts...

This paper discusses the implementation of the new universal guidelines (SNA95) on the Dutch national accounts. A distinction is made between changes in basic concepts and classifications, changes in detail and supplementary classifications and changes in scope.

At present, the national accounts in most countries are compiled on the basis of concepts and classifications in international guidelines. In this paper, we trace the roots of these guidelines, compare the subsequent quidelines and discuss also alternative accounting systems like extended...

The consequences of deregulation for economic statistics are discussed with a view to Europe 1992. In particular, the effects of the introduction of the Intrastat-system for statistics on international trade are investigated. It is argued that if the Statistical Offices of the EC-countries do no...

In this paper, concepts of income are discussed in view of the purpose of use and the actual circumstances. Main choices in defining income are presented in a general system. The national accounts is a multi-purpose framework. It should therefore contain several concepts of income.

From a conceptual point of view, for most purposes net figures of Domestic Product and National Income are to be preferred to gross figures. Nevertheless, in practice gross figures are most often used on the ground of various arguments. In this paper, these arguments are challenged. To this end,...