British Embassy Belgrade

Year: 2014

This study aimes to emphasize the poor quality of statistical data in Serbia, especially on sectorial level, in terms of their practical application in the analysis of performance and consequentially decision-making itself and make recommendations to overcome them. The project systematically analyzed key economic series, comparing and contrasting related variables and relying mostly on economic logic to show key gaps and problems. The focus was to compare GDP by production and expenditure structure with source information, deflators and price series, as well as delve as deeply as possible into formal and informal knowledge about the assessment methodologies applied to explain the inconsistencies. Ultimately, the project identified some key fundamental assumptions that are regularly being made and that probably do not adequately reflect Serbia’s reality. The key audience included policymakers in the Ministry of finance, the Fiscal Council, and the IFIs.

Report