On Cross-country Comparability of Government Statistics: Public expenditure trends in OECD National Accounts

Government statistics in the 'Detailed Tables' of OECD yearly National Accounts, one of the most internationally used references for comparative economic studies, show remarkable inconsistencies. The interpretation by economists and other users of data on total government outlays by function and type, gross capital formation, added value of general government, compensation of employees, and on other public sector data needs more prudence than it is usually acknowledged. In some cases, strong policy implications risk being drawn on shaky foundations. International organisations should invest more in the quality of data they disseminate.