Institution

OECD

Year

2010

Level

Intermediate

Abstract

This handbook provides guidance in the statistical treatment of research and experimental development as capital formation. The latest System of National Accounts (the 2008 SNA) explicitly recognises, for the first time, that expenditures on research and experimental development (R&D) should be recorded that way. These products have a common characteristic, namely that their value reflects the underlying intellectual property they embody, which is why they are referred to collectively here as intellectual property products (IPPs). But they also share another important characteristic: their measurement is not straightforward, and, in the absence of clear guidance, it is highly likely that estimates will not be comparable between countries.