EXPERT GROUP ON CAPITAL STOCK STATISTICS
("CANBERRA I")

Purpose:

1. To clarify the conceptual issues underpinning capital stocks and flows.
2. To exchange research and experience related to the problems of capital stock and flow
measurement.

Active years:

1997 - 1999

Participants:

Countries:

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America.

International agencies:

International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations Statistics Division, World Bank, Statistical Offices of the European Communities.

Expert advisers:

Erwin Diewert, Peter Hill, Charles Hulton, Dale Jorgenson, Jack Triplett.

Meetings:

First Meeting: 10-14 March 1997 in Canberra
Second Meeting: 29 September - 2 October 1998 in Paris
Third Meeting: 8-10 November 1999 in Washington, D.C.

Topics considered:

Measurement practices of participating countries; concepts of capital stocks and flows;
practice and problems of perpetual inventory method; alternative approaches to measuring capital stock, primarily direct collection; commercial accounting issues; current price and volume measures; balance of fixed assets and capital stock estimation in transition countries; experience with multi-factor productivity; new measures of capital related to the extension of the asset boundary as recommended by the System of National Accounts, (1993 SNA); balance sheet issues; and international comparability and cooperation.

Products:

Documents and final reports of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 meetings are available on the
Website (see below).

The Group developed a manual on capital stock and flow measurement that covers both
conceptual issues and suggested best practices in compilation. The manual, which was
published by OECD in 2001, is part of the reference documentation on the 1993 SNA.

Planned activities:

The Group’s work essentially concluded with the publication of the manual on capital stock flow and measurement. The ‘research agenda’, described in chapter 4 of the Manual, has been incorporated into the work of the Expert Group on the Measurement of Non-Financial Assets (Canberra II), which is the successor to the Expert Group on Capital Stock Statistics.

Expected future products:

Nil.

Point of contact:

Peter Harper (Convener)
Head, Economic Accounts Division, Australian Bureau of Statistics
P.O. Box 10
Belconnen, A.C.T. 2616
Australia
Tel: 61-2-6252-6035
Fax: 61-2-6253-1051
E-mail: peter.harper@abs.gov.au