Description: This online course, presented by the Statistics Department, introduces participants to key CPI concepts and methods. The course provides an overview of key CPI concepts, definitions, and uses. It provides an overview of different index number formulas and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also discusses the sources and methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; treatment of temporarily and permanently missing prices; and updating and linking CPI data series. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: defining key concepts and uses of CPI data and how these influence the design of a CPI; meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy; calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices, including adjusting prices for quality changes; and chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs) and users of CPI data interested in understanding key concepts and compilation issues.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to providing participants’ a broad understanding of the concepts and methods required to compiling PPIs. It provides an overview of the steps of index compilation including establishing index weights, sampling establishments, selecting, and specifying transactions to be priced, calculating indexes, and disseminating the results. The role of price indexes as deflators in the 2008 SNA is analyzed, as are related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. Issues related to expanding coverage of the services sectors are emphasized, including an overview of pricing methods for information and communication technology, transportation, distributive trade, and tourism services. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary aggregate indexes with and without item weights; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing items; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and expanding coverage of the services sectors. The course follows the principles and recommended practices in the PPI (2004) manual.
Target Audience: This introductory online course is designed for anyone interested in learning how to compile and disseminate producer price indexes (PPIs).
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, presents the concepts, data sources and compilation methods used for the production of the Residential Property Price Index (RPPIs). Emphasis is given to the importance of evaluating data sources for compiling RPPIs in terms of coverage, timeliness, richness in terms of supporting an appropriate compilation method, suitability of the price measure, and weighting. Trade-offs involved in selecting data sources are considered, as are strategies for longer-run development of data sources. The methodological component of the course emphasizes the property-mix problem: a change in the mix of properties transacted each period can bias measures of change in average prices. Mix-adjustment by stratification and hedonic regression are the main methods used to solve this issue and interactive workshops deal with these topics. The course follows the principles of the 2013 Handbook on RPPIs published by Eurostat, International Labor Organization (ILO), IMF, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Bank.
Target Audience: The course is primarily aimed at mid-level to senior officials who are responsible for compiling, or planning to develop, the RPPI. Users of the RPPI will also find the course beneficial.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts, methods, and challenges of compiling CPIs. Concepts and methods introduced in the online CPIx are explored in greater detail to address actual compilation issues faced by participants. It provides an overview of the index number theory and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing/validating weights; and practical applications of the methods used for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; introducing new outlets, items, and varieties; adjusting prices for quality changes; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs).
Source: ESCAP SIAP (Data extracted on: 21 Feb 2025 )
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Organizer(s): IMF ESCAP SIAP
Description: CPIs measure changes over time in the general level of prices of goods and services that households acquire (use or pay for) for the purpose of consumption. In many countriesthey were originally introduced to provide a measure of the changes in the living costs faced by workersso that wage increases could be related to changing levels of prices. Howeverover the yearsCPIs have widened their scope and now are widely used as a macroeconomic indicator of inflationas a tool by governments and central banks for monetary policy and for monitoring price stabilityand as deflators in the national accounts. With the globalization of trade and production and the liberalization of the marketsnational governmentscentral banksand international organizations place great importance on the quality and accuracy of national CPIsand their international comparability.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 02 Dec 2024 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat
Description: Did you know that the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) currently covers the price changes of more than 400 products like pizza, rice, cars, and hotels? Did you know that the prices for olive oil showed the highest increase in the EU in September 2024, while the prices for liquid fuels showed the largest decrease? Consumer price indices measure changes over time in the prices of goods and services that households buy for consumption. These indices are used for various purposes, for example for conducting monetary policy, indexing commercial contracts, wages, social protection benefits and financial instruments. In the EU, the HICP provides a comparable measure of consumer price inflation. This webinar will give you general insights into the HICP, inform you on recent developments, and the work carried out at Eurostat. Our experts will show you how to find relevant data and information and guide you through Eurostat’s food price monitoring tool.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts, methods, and challenges of compiling CPIs. Concepts and methods introduced in the online CPIx are explored in greater detail to address actual compilation issues faced by participants. It provides an overview of the index number theory and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing/validating weights; and practical applications of the methods used for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; introducing new outlets, items, and varieties; adjusting prices for quality changes; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs).
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts, methods, and challenges of compiling CPIs. Concepts and methods introduced in the online CPIx are explored in greater detail to address actual compilation issues faced by participants. It provides an overview of the index number theory and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing/validating weights; and practical applications of the methods used for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation.
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs).
Title in Spanish: Taller de intercambio de las buenas prácticas del IPC y su sincronización respecto al Programa de Comparación Internacional (PCI)
Organizer(s): INE Chile ECLAC AI Generated
Description: El Taller de intercambio de las buenas prácticas del IPC y su sincronización respecto al PCI, se realizará del 14 al 18 de octubre de 2024 en la sede del INE de Chile (Moránde 801, piso 2, Santiago).
Source: ESCAP SIAP (Data extracted on: 27 Nov 2024 )
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Organizer(s): IMF ESCAP SIAP SPC
Description: Consumer price indexes (CPI) measure changes over time in the general level of prices of goods and services that households acquire (use or pay for) for the purpose of consumption. In many countriesthey were originally introduced to provide a measure of the changes in the living costs faced by workersso that wage increases could be related to changing levels of prices. Howeverover the yearsCPIs have widened their scope and now are widely used as a macroeconomic indicator of inflationas a tool by governments and central banks for monetary policy and for monitoring price stabilityand as deflators in the national accounts. With the globalization of trade and production and the liberalization of the marketsnational governmentscentral banksand international organizations place great importance on the quality and accuracy of national CPIsand their international comparability.CPIs are official statistics that are usually produced by NSOsMinistries of Finance and Labouror central banks. They are published as quickly as possiblegenerally within four weeks after the reference period. This face-to-face coursedeveloped jointly by SIAPIMFand SPCaims to build capacity to improve the compilation of consumer price indexes (CPI) that reflect international standards and best practice as described in the 2020 CPI Manual. Course topics will include overview of index calculation methodsdeveloping weightsselecting samplesprice collectiondata dissemination. The program will include interactive discussions to share country experiencespractical exercises to apply concepts and methods discussedand limited lecture.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 07 Mar 2024 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: * Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material. * Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP. * Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs.
Description: Background The ESCAP Committee on Statistics decided at its 7th Session decided to “feature big data for official statistics in its future work, with an emphasis on sharing country research, experiences and good practices and facilitating capacity development” and “strengthening legislative provisions and institutional mechanisms to enable national statistical systems to take full advantage of new and innovative technologies while respecting the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.” In implementing this decision, ESCAP is running a capacity development project entitled the 2030 Data Decade - Strengthening the institutional capacity of national statistical offices in Asia and the Pacific to use innovative, new and big data sources for official statistics in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the Big Data Project) amongst others. One component of this project involves capacity development in the area of web scraping prices focusing on consumer price indices in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Fiji, Lao PDR, Maldives, Nepal, Thailand, Tonga and Uzbekistan. Concept note and Tentative programme Objectives and Expected Outcomes The in-person workshop's overall aim is to embed the knowledge and skills delivered to participants via the webinars May through August 2024. By the end of the workshop, participants will: Have embedded Python coding knowledge and skills for web scraping prices data and applied this to their chosen website. Understand how to process and clean web-scraped data, ready for inclusion into the CPI calculation process. Have discussed further and explored coding to automate a pipeline for incorporating web scraped prices data into the NSO’s processes. Have a deeper appreciation of the methodological challenges for incorporating web scraped prices into CPI calculations, and how to overcome these.
Description: The producer price index (PPI) and the export and import price index (XMPI) are important complements to the consumer price index (CPI) in drawing a more complete picture of how inflation affects major parts of an economy, including businesses and institutions, in addition to households. These indexes are used to deflate production and expenditure values in the national accounts, adjust prices in long-term contracts, analyze short-term inflation trends, and perform terms of trade analysis.In the Producer, Export, and Import Price Index course, or PPIx, you will learn the fundamentals of how these statistics are compiled and used. In this course, we take a close look at the types of transactions and prices included in these indexes, and how they are weighted together to create the total index values reported in the news.
Target Audience: Compilers of producer price indexes (PPIs) and export and import price indexes (XMPIs), and users of these data interested in understanding key concepts and compilation issues.
Description: This online course, presented by the Statistics Department, introduces participants to key CPI concepts and methods. The course provides an overview of key CPI concepts, definitions, and uses. It provides an overview of different index number formulas and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also discusses the sources and methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; treatment of temporarily and permanently missing prices; and updating and linking CPI data series. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: defining key concepts and uses of CPI data and how these influence the design of a CPI; meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy; calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices, including adjusting prices for quality changes; and chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs) and users of CPI data interested in understanding key concepts and compilation issues.
Description: The producer price index (PPI) and the export and import price index (XMPI) are important complements to the consumer price index (CPI) in drawing a more complete picture of how inflation affects major parts of an economy, including businesses and institutions, in addition to households. These indexes are used to deflate production and expenditure values in the national accounts, adjust prices in long-term contracts, analyze short-term inflation trends, and perform terms of trade analysis. In the Producer, Export, and Import Price Index course, or PPIx, you will learn the fundamentals of how these statistics are compiled and used. In this course, we take a close look at the types of transactions and prices included in these indexes, and how they are weighted together to create the total index values reported in the news.
Target Audience: Compilers of producer price indexes (PPIs) and export and import price indexes (XMPIs), and users of these data interested in understanding key concepts and compilation issues.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 24 Aug 2023 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material. Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP. Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 07 Mar 2024 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material. Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP. Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs.
Description: The results of the ICP are important for policymakers at both the national and regional levels in areas as diverse as the allocation of resources for production or the targeting of plans to address the well-being of the population.
Description: This online course, presented by the Statistics Department, introduces participants to key CPI concepts and methods. The course provides an overview of key CPI concepts, definitions, and uses. It provides an overview of different index number formulas and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also discusses the sources and methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; treatment of temporarily and permanently missing prices; and updating and linking CPI data series. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: defining key concepts and uses of CPI data and how these influence the design of a CPI; meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy; calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices, including adjusting prices for quality changes; and chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs) and users of CPI data interested in understanding key concepts and compilation issues.
Title in Arabic: الرقم القياسي الخاص بأسعار المستهلك
Organizer(s): AITRS League of Arab States
Description: تلعب الأسعار دورا أساسيا في نمط واتجاهات التجارة الدولية وتسترشد غالبية الدول النامية منها والمصنعة على حد سواء بالأسعار وآلية تغيراتها في وضع توزيع اقتصادي لاستثماراتها المختلفة. كما تعتمد هذه الدول على الأرقام القياسية لأسعار المستهلك وكذلك تكاليف المعيشة في تعديل وتحديد الرواتب والأجور. وانطلاقا من هذه الأهمية للأسعار، تقوم الأجهزة الإحصائية في مختلف الدول بجمع بيانات الأسعار بصورة دورية وبدراسة أسعار السلع المختلفة المتداولة في أسواقها المحلية بصورة خاصة بالإضافة إلى واقع الأسعار بالبلدان المجاورة والدول الأخرى. وتاتي هذه الورشة بواقع جلستان للفترة 22-23 يناير / كانون الثاني 2023: حول الرقم القياسي الخاص بأسعار المستهلك وآلية جمع وتبويب ومعالجة البيانات ومعادلات الاحتساب الخاصة بالرقم القياسي لأسعار المستهلك كذلك آلية احتساب التضخم (Inflation)والتضخم الأساسي Core Inflation.
Title in Arabic: الأرقام القياسية وأنواع الأسعار ومؤشراتها والمنهجيات
Organizer(s): AITRS League of Arab States
Description: تعد الأرقام القياسية للأسعار من أهم المؤشرات الاقتصادية في كافة دول العالم على اختلاف أنظمتها، وخاصة مع سرعة التقدم التكنولوجي والمعلوماتي حيث أنها تعطي ايضاحا بسيطا ومختصرا عن كم هائل من البيانات وتربط بينها عبر الأزمان و الأمكنة المختلفة، مما يساهم ويساعد في فهم الحاضر وتوقع أحداث المستقبل. كما تستخدم هذه الأرقام في مجالات واسعة ومتعددة في الاقتصاد الوطني على غرار الحسابات القومية والتجارة الخارجية وقياس مستوى عيش الأسر. من ناحية أخرى، توفر الأرقام القياسية للمخططين وصناع القرار وسائر المستخدمين بيانات موجزة وفاعلة تلبي احتياجاتهم لإدارة شؤونهم ورسم سياساتهم في مختلف المجالات الاقتصادية والاجتماعية، إضافة إلى تحليل الواقع الاقتصادي القائم تاتي هذه الورشة حول الأرقام القياسية وأنواع الأسعار ومؤشراتها والمنهجيات المختلفة ومنافع وعيوب كل منها، وكذلك التسلسل والربط والتطرق الى مواضيع أولية وتعريفية وآلية تركيب الأرقام القياسية والطرق المستخدمة في ذلك. مع الاشارة الى التحديثات التي تمت على كل طريقة مؤخرا، كما سيتم التطرق الى دراسة المقارنات الدولية للأسعار .
Description: Concept Note Innovations remain an integral part of good practices in the production of economic statistics that are timely and meet the needs of users. Overtime, traditional systems of data collection such as surveys have involved to respond to new business practices such as online trading. As a result, some countries have had to change modalities of data collection for measures of aggregates such as inflation. These measures have included tendencies to scrap the internet for prices to produce consumer price indices. Other countries have not yet adopted such innovations. Similarly, for producing macroeconomic and microeconomic statistics such as gross domestic product (GDP), retail statistics, employment amongst others, countries have embraced different data collection techniques. Besides mere data collection, new industries such as e-commerce have emerged, often facilitated by more efficient payment systems and changes in consumer purchasing habits. While this has improved the timeliness of data produced, it is important that statistical standards are maintained in line with fundamental principles of official statistics. This Stats Café was organized by the Statistics Division of ESCAP and aimed to showcase country level practices and experiences regarding on-line price collection for consumer price indices, purchasing power parities (PPP’s) within the context of the international comparison programme (ICP) and the measurement of e-commerce. By participating in this Stats Café, attendees were expected to: Learn about how some countries are applying new innovations with respect to price data collection for price indices and their associated challenges; Acquaint themselves with some of the approaches and methods for measuring e-commerce. Agenda Moderator: Mr Alick Mjuma Nyasulu, Statistician, Statistics Division, ESCAP Opening remarks: Ms Rikke Munk Hansen, Chief, Economic and Environmental Statistics Section, Statistics Division, ESCAP Measuring E-commerce using market place site, Mr Viktor Suwiyanto, Junior Expert Computer Administrator, BPS Statistics Indonesia Online price collection for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and experiences on the 2021 International Comparison Programme , Ms Ruth Lee, Senior Manager, Consumer Price Indices, Department of Statistics, Singapore Online Price Collection for Consumer Price Indices, Ms Chindy Saktias Pratiwi, Statistician, Directorate of Price Statistics, BPS Statistics Indonesia & Ms Irien Kamaratih Kamaratih Arsiani, Statistician at Integration of Statistical Processing and Dissemination - BPS Statistics Indonesia Question and Answer/Discussion , Moderator: Mr Alick Mjuma Nyasulu, Statistician, ESCAP Statistics Division Closing remarks: Mr Alick Mjuma Nyasulu, Statistician, ESCAP Statistics Division , Stats Café Home: Upcoming events Concluded events
Source: ESCAP SIAP (Data extracted on: 07 Dec 2023 )
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Organizer(s): ESCAP SIAP IMF STA
Description: CPIs measure changes over time in the general level of prices of goods and services that households acquire (use or pay for) for the purpose of consumption. In many countriesthey were originally introduced to provide a measure of the changes in the living costs faced by workersso that wage increases could be related to changing levels of prices. Howeverover the yearsCPIs have widened their scope and now are widely used as a macroeconomic indicator of inflationas a tool by governments and central banks for monetary policy and for monitoring price stabilityand as deflators in the national accounts. With the globalization of trade and production and the liberalization of the marketsnational governmentscentral banksand international organizations place great importance on the quality and accuracy of national CPIsand their international comparability.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 03 Feb 2023 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs.
Description: "Disclosure: Due to COVID 19, courses will be delivered in person, hybrid, or virtual, according to safety guidelines. As of today, this course is scheduled to be delivered in person in Vienna, but its delivery method may change. By submitting your application, you confirm your availability to participate in the course either in person or virtually. Up-to-date Covid-19 vaccination is likely to be required and related information may be requested from participants for in-person courses. " This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts, methods, and challenges of compiling CPIs. Concepts and methods introduced in the online CPIx are explored in greater detail to address actual compilation issues faced by participants. It provides an overview of the index number theory and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing/validating weights; and practical applications of the methods used for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; introducing new outlets, items, and varieties; adjusting prices for quality changes; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 03 Feb 2023 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat
Description: The course will introduce the theoretical and practical knowledge of energy statistics in relation to the European Union legal framework (Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 on energy statistics. Also the Regulation (EU) 2016/1952/EC) on European statistics on natural gas and electricity prices and its implementation). The main focus will be on concepts, definitions, methodology, improving quality aspects and data validation on monthly, annual and price questionnaires (including discussions on issues observed in practise). The course will focus also on facilitating the learning processes on the Annual Hydrogen questionnaire and the Annual questionnaire on energy consumptions in Households and in Industry (Commission Regulation (EU) No 431/2014 of 24 April 2014 amending Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy statistics, as regards the implementation of annual statistics on energy consumption in households).
Target Audience: Statisticians dealing with compilation of monthly, prices and annual energy statistics wishing to understand better the system and overall framework of energy statistics. Also for those who will deal with the new Hydrogen questionnaire.
Description: "Disclosure: Due to COVID 19, courses will be delivered in person, hybrid, or virtual, according to safety guidelines. As of today, this course is scheduled to be delivered in person in Vienna, but its delivery method may change. By submitting your application, you confirm your availability to participate in the course either in person or virtually. Up-to-date Covid-19 vaccination is likely to be required and related information may be requested from participants for in-person courses. " This course, presented by the Statistics Department, identifies the key uses of RPPIs; reviews data sources and methods for compiling RPPIs; and outlines strategic issues for country-specific application. Emphasis is given to the importance of evaluating alternative data sources for compiling RPPIs in terms of coverage, timeliness, richness in terms of supporting a quality-mix methodology, suitability of a price measure, and weighting. Trade-offs involved in selecting data sources are considered, as are strategies for longer-run development of data sources. The methodological component of the course emphasizes the quality-mix problem: a change in the mix of properties transacted each period can bias measures of change in average prices. Mix-adjustment by stratification and hedonic regression are the main methods used to deal with this issue and interactive workshops deal with these topics. The course also highlights how data source and methodological issues are intertwined and follows the principles of the 2013 Handbook on RPPIs published by Eurostat, International Labor Organization (ILO), IMF, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Bank. Practical advice on RPPI compilation will draw on the 2020 RPPI Practical Compilation Guide published by the IMF.
Description: The workshop trained 19 officials from the six member countries on methodological and compilation issues covering PPI conceptual and development issues; data sources for weights development and sample selection; and index coverage and compilations. As most countries are preparing for the next round of GDP rebase, the regional national accounts workshop focused on review and assessment of data sources and strengthening knowledge on using the SUT framework as an integral compilation framework.
Topics:
Eurostat / OECD Purchasing Power Parities Workshop
Description: This online course, presented by the Statistics Department, introduces participants to key CPI concepts and methods. The course provides an overview of key CPI concepts, definitions, and uses. It provides an overview of different index number formulas and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also discusses the sources and methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; treatment of temporarily and permanently missing prices; and updating and linking CPI data series. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: defining key concepts and uses of CPI data and how these influence the design of a CPI; meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy; calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices, including adjusting prices for quality changes; and chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs) and users of CPI data interested in understanding key concepts and compilation issues.
Description: ESCWA and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) are organizing a joint regional webinar to promote resilient and agile statistics that support countries in implementing decisions based on statistical evidence for an inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery. The webinar aims at: Improving price statistics through the increased comparability of price indices Developing new outputs and indicators to assess economic performance and comparability of macroeconomic indicators Introducing innovative price data collection tools that complement traditional tools Increasing efficiency and facilitating collection at times of crisis. The webinar features a wide participation from different member countries of ESCWA, ECLAC and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), in addition to the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 03 Feb 2023 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Objectives of this course: * The course aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material; * Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP; * Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs.
Description: This course, presented by the IMF Statistics Department, identifies the key uses of RPPIs; reviews data sources and methods for compiling RPPIs; and outlines strategic issues for country-specific application. Emphasis is given to the importance of evaluating alternative data sources for compiling RPPIs in terms of coverage, timeliness, richness in terms of supporting a quality-mix methodology, suitability of a price measure, and weighting. Trade-offs involved in selecting data sources are considered, as are strategies for longer-run development of data sources. The methodological component of the course emphasizes the quality-mix problem: a change in the mix of properties transacted each period can bias measures of change in average prices. Mix-adjustment by stratification and hedonic regression are the main methods used to deal with this issue and interactive workshops deal with these topics. The course also highlights how data source and methodological issues are intertwined and follows the principles of the 2013 Handbook on RPPIs published by Eurostat, International Labor Organization (ILO), IMF, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Bank. Practical advice on RPPI compilation will draw on the 2020 RPPI Practical Compilation Guide published by the IMF.
Description: The consumer price index (CPI) is one of the most important macroeconomic indicators produced by a country. CPI data are essential inputs for policymakers who require reliable measures of price change to make sound policy decisions. In addition, wages, salaries, government payments, pensions, rent, and other payments are indexed to the CPI and require accurate estimates of inflation. Learn the key concepts and compilation methods required to compile reliable CPI data using the best available methods.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing weights and sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: * Calculating elementary and upper-level indexes. * Methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices. * Introducing new outlets, items, and varieties. * Adjusting prices for quality changes. * Chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures. * Meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs).
Description: Within the framework of its Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC will organise a Training Course on 'Price Statistics' for the benefit of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of Arabic speaking OIC countries on 10-12 October 2022 through an online video conferencing platform. Mr. Dergham OBEIDAT, Head of Price Statistics Department at the Department of Statistics (DOS) of Jordan, will conduct the course and cover the following topics: Introduction to price statistics Introduction to price indices Types of price indices How to build a price index How to choose the base year for building the price index Calculation of weights and the relative importance How to collect data from the field Uses of price indices The SESRIC StatCaB Programme was initiated in early 2007. It is the flagship capacity development programme of SESRIC. Within the framework of StatCaB Programme, the Centre collects information from the NSOs of OIC member countries through the biennial StatCaB Questionnaire, assesses their statistical training needs and capacities, matches these needs and capacities, and organizes statistical capacity development activities between the beneficiary and provider countries. For more information on SESRIC Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, please visit: http://www.oicstatcom.org/statcab.php
Organizer(s): ECB Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland United States
Description: The Center for Inflation Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the European Central Bank invite you to attend the Inflation: Drivers and Dynamics 2022 conference to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, on 29-30 September 2022. The conference will bring together top researchers from academia, central banks and other policy institutions to present research findings related to inflation. Additional conference details will be distributed nearer the date.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 30 Jun 2022 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs
Description: The consumer price index (CPI) is one of the most important macroeconomic indicators produced by a country. CPI data are essential inputs for policymakers who require reliable measures of price change to make sound policy decisions. In addition, wages, salaries, government payments, pensions, rent, and other payments are indexed to the CPI and require accurate estimates of inflation. Learn the key concepts and compilation methods required to compile reliable CPI data using the best available methods.
Target Audience: This course is designed for compilers and users of the consumer price index (CPI) who can benefit from a better understanding of the recommended methods for the compilation and dissemination of reliable inflation data.
Description: The consumer price index (CPI) is one of the most important macroeconomic indicators produced by a country. CPI data are essential inputs for policymakers who require reliable measures of price change to make sound policy decisions. In addition, wages, salaries, government payments, pensions, rent, and other payments are indexed to the CPI and require accurate estimates of inflation. Learn the key concepts and compilation methods required to compile reliable CPI data using the best available methods.
Description: The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains, leading to shipment delays and soaring shipping costs. We study the impact of shocks to global shipping costs—measured by the Baltic Dry Index (BDI)—on domestic prices for a large panel of countries during the period 1992-2021. We find that spikes in the BDI are followed by sizable and statistically significant increases in import prices, PPI, headline, and core inflation, as well as inflation expectations. The impact is similar in magnitude but more persistent than for shocks to global oil and food prices. The effects are more muted in countries where imports make up a smaller share of domestic consumption, and those with inflation targeting regimes and better anchored inflation expectations. The results are robust to several checks, including an instrumental variable approach in which we instrument changes in shipping costs with an indicator of closures of the Suez Canal.The speaker shares a recently published and featured Chart of The Week on IMF’s website (How Soaring Shipping Costs Raise Prices Around the World – IMF Blog) and the working paper of the webinar (Shipping Costs and Inflation (imf.org)).This webinar will be delivered in 30 minutes followed by a short Q&A.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants' understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs. The course covers the sources and methods for developing weights and sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; introducing new outlets, items, and varieties; quality adjustments; chaining and linking indexes; and meeting data users' needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Description: Big data is increasingly making in-roads in the compilation of official statistics. Not only does it ensure timely availability of statistics but is effective in terms of costs of statistics production. ESCAP developed a big data strategy to ably support its member states innovate statistical production systems. Most of the big data can be collected from administrative sources or computer databases where it is continuously generated. Pioneers of big data have often been private sector enterprises that have adopted various technologies such as machine learning to predict statistical outcomes to meet their business needs. While big data has foot in the private sector, official statistical agencies have begun to adopt it in their operations. Statistical offices have realized the need to remain relevant as well as remain leaders in the production of statistics. Similarly, they are beginning to realise that despite lack of structure and standards, big data complements existing statistical products and offers users another set of statistical information to meet their everyday needs. Over time, users of statistics have emphasized the need for timely statistics. Timeliness of statistics remains a critical aspect of data quality. While traditional statistics are reputed for strong adherence to standards, their timeliness has often been in question. Big data lacks structure but its timeliness, gives statistical agencies a critical tradeoff between timeliness and relevance aspects of data quality. It also gives statistical agencies a good foundation to adopt innovation in terms of how data is collected, processed and its ability to address the ever-changing needs of technology savvy users. Price statistics are one area of official statistics that has increasingly adopted the use of big data in its production amongst some member states of ESCAP region1. Price statistics are often collected through price surveys and indices compiled based on household/retail surveys that are often infrequent or outdated. The increased digitalization of retail business offers an alternative to household surveys and if properly done can enhance the accuracy of price statistics. In view of these developments, ESCAP under the umbrella of the steering group of the regional programme for the improvement of economic statistics in Asia and the Pacific, organised an online seminar on the use of big data in price statistics on 21 April 2022. This seminar was organised as part of implementing the ESCAP big data strategy and targets economic statisticians involved in the compilation and use of price statistics in the Asia-Pacific region. The seminar exchanged and discussed examples of big data use for price statistics production. Experts from the World Bank, Statistical Centre of Iran, and Statistics New Zealand made presentations during the seminar. 1https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/knowledge-products/Stats_Brief_Issue28_Big_data_for_economic_statistics_Mar2021.pdf
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to deepen participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling PPIs and XMPIs. It provides an overview of the steps of index compilation including establishing index weights, sampling establishments, selecting and specifying transactions to be priced, calculating indexes, and disseminating the results. The role of price indexes as deflators in the 2008 SNA is analyzed, as are related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. Issues related to expanding coverage of the services sectors are emphasized, including an overview of pricing methods for information and communication technology, transportation, distributive trade, and tourism services. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary aggregate indexes with and without item weights; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing items; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; compiling export-import indexes using the hybrid methodology; and expanding coverage of the services sectors. The course follows the principles and recommended practices in the PPI (2004) and XMPI (2009) manuals.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 30 Jan 2022 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Objectives: * Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material; * Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP; * Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Staff members in the field of National Accounts (NA) and Balance of Payment (BoP) departments in National Statistical Offices and National Banks.
2021 ICP for Asia and the Pacific - Twelfth Regional Online Workshop: National accounts framework and requirements for GDP expenditure weights for 2021 PPP computation
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 04 Jan 2022 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat
Description: The course will introduce the theoretical and practical knowledge of energy statistics in relation to the European Union legal framework (Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 on energy statistics and Regulation (EU) 2016/1952/EC) and its implementation. The main focus will be on concepts, definitions, methodology and data validation on monthly and price questionnaires (including discussions on issues observed in practise). The course will also explore the European perspective within the international methodology concepts of energy statistics.
Target Audience: Statisticians dealing with compilation of monthly and price energy statistics and wishing to understand better the system and overall framework of energy statistics.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs, PPIs, and XMPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also covers methods for sampling and collecting data from outlets and establishments. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. The role of price indexes as deflators in the 2008 SNA is analyzed, as are related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. There are sessions on the following topics: methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing items; adjusting prices for quality changes, including new products, establishments, and outlets; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy.The course follows the principles and recommended practices in the CPI (2004), PPI (2004), and XMPI (2009) manuals.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing weights and sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. The course covers the following topics: calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; introducing new outlets, items, and varieties; adjusting prices for quality changes; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs, PPIs, and XMPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also covers methods for sampling and collecting data from outlets and establishments. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. The role of price indexes as deflators in the 2008 SNA is analyzed, as are related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. There are sessions on the following topics: methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing items; adjusting prices for quality changes, including new products, establishments, and outlets; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommended practices in the CPI (2004), PPI (2004), and XMPI (2009) manuals.
2021 ICP for Asia and the Pacific - Seventh Regional Online Workshop: Technical Evaluation and Review of Housing Rental and Discussion of Housing Volume Concepts
Organizer(s): ECB Federal Reserve Bank of New York United States
Description: The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars to present their current research on expectations surveys, including surveys of households, firms, financial market participants, analysts, and other experts such as professional forecasters. The focus of this second joint European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York conference will be on the use of such surveys to measure and understand economic expectations, as well as how expectations feed into economic decisions with potentially wide-reaching implications for the economy and for monetary policy.
2021 ICP for Asia and the Pacific - Sixth Regional Online Workshop: Technical Evaluation and Review of Revised Q1 and Q2 2021 Household Consumption Prices
Description: The African Centre for Statistics (ACS) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with SurveyCTO and other development partners will organize a follow-up e-training regional webinar on the use of telephone surveys to collect Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from 20 to 21 October 2021. The e-training regional webinar on the use of telephone surveys to collect CPI data is a follow-up to the reginal seminar on data collection for the compilation of CPI during COVID-19 which was virtually organized during the weeks of 18 to 28 May 2020 and the regional e-training webinar on the application of alternative methods for price data collection to compile CPI which was held from 25 January to 4 February 2021. The main objectives of the upcoming e-training webinar are to provide participants with a brief practical overview of the SurveyCTO software package, to develop the capacity of member States on the use of telephone surveys / Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) in the collection of price statistics, and to identify pilot countries which are currently interested in adopting telephone surveys / CATI in price data collection. Staff who work in the area of price and other related statistics of the national statistical offices of member States, as well as sub-regional and regional organizations will participate in the e-training webinar.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 03 May 2021 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat Icon-Institut
Description: Objectives: * Aims at enhancing the theoretical and practical knowledge related to the HICP, based on the HICP Methodological Manual and other HICP guidance material; * Describes the purpose, use and construction of HICP; * Participants become familiar with the standard methods, the specific HICP requirements, as well as with recent developments such as the use of scanner data.
Target Audience: Statisticians of CPI/HICP departments in National Statistical Institutes involved in the production of CPI/HICP with one to two years of experience on CPIs. ESTP Trainings are open to non-ESS members if capacity allows after ESS needs are fulfilled.
Description: Within the framework of its Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC will organise an Online Training Course on 'Prices' for the benefit of Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and other National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of OIC Member Countries on 20-22 September 2021. Mr. Cem BAŞ, Head of Price Statistics Department at Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), will conduct the course and cover the following topics: General information about price indices Source of weights and basket CPI-HICP / PPI Analysis of CPI-HICP / PPI indices and prices Calculation of CPI and PPI Service PPI general information Rebasing of price indices and chain linking The course will be conducted through a video conferencing platform by following synchronous learning and instruction approaches designed in line with the virtual training solutions undertaken by SESRIC in order to better serve the Centre’s training activities and keep participants motivated and engaged during this time of global crisis due to COVID-19. For more information on SESRIC Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, please visit: http://www.oicstatcom.org/statcab.php
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, reviews data sources and methods for compiling RPPIs and outlines strategic issues for country-specific application. Emphasis is given to the importance of evaluating alternative data sources for compiling RPPIs in terms of coverage, timeliness, richness in terms of supporting a quality-mix methodology, suitability of a price measure, and weighting. Trade-offs involved in selecting data sources are considered, as are strategies for longer-run development of data sources. The methodological component of the course emphasizes the quality-mix problem: a change in the mix of properties transacted each period can bias measures of change in average prices. Mix-adjustment by stratification and hedonic regression are the main methods used to deal with this issue and interactive workshops deal with these topics. The course also highlights how data source and methodological issues are intertwined and follows the principles of the 2013 Handbook on RPPIs published by Eurostat, International Labor Organization (ILO), IMF, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Bank.
Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs, PPIs, and XMPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also covers methods for sampling and collecting data from outlets and establishments. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. The role of price indexes as deflators in the 2008 SNA is analyzed, as are related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. There are sessions on the following topics: methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing items; adjusting prices for quality changes, including new products, establishments, and outlets; chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. The course follows the principles and recommended practices in the CPI (2004), PPI (2004), and XMPI (2009) manuals.
Source: Eurostat (Data extracted on: 21 Dec 2020 )
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Organizer(s): Eurostat
Description: The course will introduce the theoretical and practical knowledge of energy statistics in relation to the European Union legal framework (Annex B of Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 on energy statistics). The main focus will be on concepts and definitions of energy statistics, discussions on annual questionnaires. The course will explore the European perspective within the international methodology concepts of energy statistics.
Target Audience: Statisticians dealing with compilation of annual energy statistics and wishing to understand better the system and overall framework of energy statistics. ESTP Trainings are open to non-ESS members if capacity allows after ESS needs are fulfilled.
2021 International Comparison Program Online Workshop with Department of Statistics Malaysia, Fiji Bureau of Statistics and Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Brunei Darussalam
Description: The African Centre for Statistics (ACS) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE-France), Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom (ONS-UK) and other development partners will organize an e-training webinar on the use of alternative price data collection methods, focusing in particular on the use of telephone surveys, scanner data and web scrapping methods from 25 January to 4 February 2021. The e-training webinar on the use of alternative price data collection methods is a follow-up to the reginal seminar on data collection for the compilation of CPI during COVID-19 which was virtually organized during the weeks of 18 to 28 May 2020. The main objectives of the upcoming e-training webinar are to develop the capacity of member States on the use of telephone surveys, scanner data and web scrapping in the collection of price statistics and to identify countries for providing further technical assistance on each of the methods. Staff who work in the area of price and other related statistics of national statistical offices of member States, as well as sub-regional and regional organizations will participate in the e-training webinar. On-line registration to participate in the meeting can be made by using the hyperlink provided below until 22 January 2021: https://events.uneca.org/registration/register?eventId=255c1f05-7655-eb11-80e6-0050569360fe
2021 International Comparison Program for Asia and the Pacific: Online Training with Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; National Bureau of Statistics of China, the People’s Republic of China; and National Statistics Office of Mongolia
2021 International Comparison Program for Asia and the Pacific: Online Training with National Institute of Cambodia; Lao Statistics Bureau of Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Trade Policy and Strategy Office, Thailand; and General Statistics Office of Viet Nam
Description: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will be organizing a Webinar for Ministers of Finance of African Member States on Wednesday 4 November 2020 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm (Addis Ababa time, GMT+3) to present and discuss recent developments on consumer price indexes, with a particular focus on food items from the basket of consumers. Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a basic yet essential economic indicator. It is relevant to every citizen and fundamental for policymaking on consumption, trade, inequality, interest rate, and foreign exchange rate. The overall CPI in a country is a combination of the price indices of different consumption functions which, at various degrees, contribute to the overall price levels. Food component of CPI is instrumental in keeping in check the basis of the objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 in eliminating hunger and combating poverty on the African continent. CPI and inflation figures compiled and disseminated in a timely manner contribute greatly to appropriate policy interventions and actions. Consequently, after the launch of the “ECA Price Watch Centre for Africa” ECA aims to present the latest extension and Africa-wide findings that are relevant to its leaders at country, regional and continental levels.
Source: IMF Metac (Data extracted on: 02 Feb 2021 )
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Description: The needs of policy makers for reliable and timely statistics on prices have increased, as they attempt to make timely decisions to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the welfare of citizens. The Residential Property Price Index (RPPI), which measures the change over time in the selling price of residential properties, provides the information to policy makers and markets more generally to assess the economic situation of real estate markets. This regional webinar on the RPPI illustrates the sources and methods to compile the RPPI, in accordance with the Practical Guide developed by the IMF and other partners. The Guide contains easy-to-use scripts that can be adapted to country data.
Topics:
CPI and PPI Continuity during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Description: In this second session on the impact of COVID-19 on prices statistics, IMF experts will discuss in greater detail how countries can address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continuity and timeliness of the dissemination of consumer price statistics. The session will also address issues and questions raised on the continuity of producer price indexes, as well as export and import price indexes. A video recording and presentation of session 1 can be found per respective link.The webinar will include a short presentation on imputations for missing prices. Participants are encouraged to send questions in advance, and these will be addressed during an extended question and answer session.
Topics:
Original webpage was deleted, archived version from the Internet Archive (not a UN service): Link
Description: How countries can address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continuity and timeliness of the dissemination of consumer prices indexes. The webinar will include presentation by Messrs. Graf and O’Hanlon and will be followed by a question and answer session to address issues raised by participants.
Topics:
Original webpage was deleted, archived version from the Internet Archive (not a UN service): Link
Business Continuity of Producer Price Indexes (PPIs) and Export and Import Price Indexes (XMPIx)
15 Jun 2020 – 15 Jun 2020
Source: IMF Metac (Data extracted on: 16 Nov 2020 )
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Description: Attended by 26 participants from eight METAC members (Afghanistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, West Bank and Gaza, Tunisia, and Yemen), this webinar included presentations on guidelines for dealing with issues affecting the routine compilation and dissemination of PPIs and XMPIs, and good practices for transparency. Topics discussed during the webinar included data collection challenges. Countries identified and discussed their current compilation challenges, including data collection, the treatment of missing data due to temporary closures and restrictions on movement, how to use alternative data sources such as counterpart country price indexes, and how to adjust for fluctuating exchange rates.
Topics:
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Business Continuity
20 May 2020 – 13 Jul 2020
Source: IMF Metac (Data extracted on: 16 Nov 2020 )
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Description: Continuous compilation and dissemination of a reliable CPI is of key importance for economic policymaking. The CPI is compiled by most national statistics offices and is usually published on a monthly basis within four weeks of the end of the reference period. This first (out of three) webinar provided guidance on dealing with issues affecting the routine compilation and dissemination of CPIs as a result of measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19—e.g. how missing prices should be accounted for. The second webinar, organized in response to positive feedback received from the first, covered similar issues, with a greater focus on developing solutions to specific country challenges. The third webinar provided further guidance on imputation methods for missing prices. Topics discussed included variety of samples and outdated index weights, treatment of increases in local transportation prices, when to replace disappearing varieties, and the need for flexibility with regard to the number of months non-seasonal items can be imputed.
Description: The African Centre for Statistics of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is organizing from, 18th to 28th May 2020, an online regional seminar on data collection for, and compilation of, consumer price indexes in the context of Covid-19. The outbreak of Covid-19 has brought big challenges to national statistical systems and their operations. On one hand, the demand for statistics and data as the policy-makers and the public want to know how the outbreak is affecting various aspects of the economy has increased. On the other hand, however, the ongoing social-distancing and lockdowns measures that are introduced to curtail the spread of the virus have also imposed restriction on possibilities for statistical data collection activities. Most of these data collection activities (censuses and surveys) are conducted through face-to-face interviewing. While the challenges for countries country might diverge due to different national circumstances and patterns, they also have common features that require joint efforts to find technical solutions suitable for the African continent. At a recent teleconference with the Directors-General of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in Africa, countries requested from Pan-African institutions and development partners an organized setting where they can share and exchange good practice and experience. In this regard, UNECA is organizing, along with partner institutions (national statistics offices, universities and international organizations, in Europe and North America), a Regional Seminar via teleconference on Data Collection for Compilation of CPI in context of Covid-19 in the weeks of 18-28 May 2020 with two sessions daily. The Seminar will provide a forum for the exchange and sharing of practice and experience among countries, international and regional organizations, academia, and development partners. The seminar will feature presenters from INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies in France), the Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom, Statistics South Africa, Statistics Norway, the University of Michigan (U of Michigan), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). For more: https://ecastats.uneca.org/acsweb/FocusAreas/ESNA/CPI2020.aspx
Description: This course offers an opportunity to learn the concepts, principles, sources, and methods used to compile the producer price index (PPI). The course covers fundamental features of the PPI including the sources and methods used for compiling index weights The course discusses presenting PPI results and producing narratives of PPI developments. There will be a specific focus on expanding the PPI to include service activities. Finally, the course will address the rebasing and linking of the PPI.
Description: Topics covered include: (i) Updating of reference periods, conceptual basics and international practice; (ii) Source data for weights, techniques for determining weights and selecting basket items; (iii) Designing the geographic coverage, sample of outlets and sampled varieties; (iv) Practical issues on data collection; (v) Introduction of new weights into the index, and communication, and dissemination of the CPI data.
