DESA News

Volume 15, No.4 - April 2011

Publications and websites

Statistical compilations

The Population and Vital Statistics Report (Online)

The report includes data for countries or areas on population size (total, male, and female) from the latest available census, and the number and rate of vital events (live births, deaths, and infant deaths) for the latest available year. These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook of DESA’s Statistics Division.

For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/default.htm

National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 2008 Parts I, II, III, and IV

The publication contains detailed national accounts estimates for 189 countries or areas of the World for the years 1997 to 2008. The estimates for each country or area are presented in separate chapters with uniform table headings and classifications as recommended in the System of National Accounts 1993 (1993 SNA). A summary of the SNA conceptual framework, classifications and definitions are included in the publication.

The publication contains statistics on national accounts aggregates and detailed variables such as gross domestic product, national income, saving, household and government consumption expenditure, gross capital formation, exports and imports, value added, compensation of employees, operating surplus, etc. It is a valuable source of information on the state and structure of the economies worldwide.

Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online

The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world. It contains over 50 tables of monthly and/or annual and quarterly data on a variety of subjects illustrating important economic trends and developments, including population, prices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade and finance.

Vol. LXV – No. 2, February 2011

This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.

For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs

Publications in other languages

The following publications are now available in other languages:

Designing Household Survey Samples: Practical Guidelines (Arabic)
Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 (Spanish)
International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compilers Manual ST/ESA/STAT/SER (Russian)

Meeting records

The Transition to a Green Economy: Benefits, Challenges and Risks from a Sustainable Development Perspective

The Report by a Panel of Experts was released in March 2011 by DESA’s Divisions on Sustainable Development, UNEP and UNCTAD. It contains three papers:

The first one, by José Antonio Ocampo, looks at the macroeconomic policy implications of the transition to the green economy. The second, by Aaron Cosbey, focuses on the interlinked issues of trade, investment and technology. And, the third by Martin Khor, considers the risks that this concept generates for developing countries and the domestic and international policies necessary to promote the green economy in these countries according to the principles of sustainable development.

For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=12&menu=45

Briefs

Rio+20 Issues Brief on Trade and Green Economy

Produced by the Secretariat of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development with inputs from UNCTAD, this Brief provides guidance on issues to be addressed to reinforce trade, green economy and sustainable development complementarities. The Brief examines policy options for green transformation and their WTO-rule compatibility. It suggests that green economy offers an opportunity to improve global trade governance and the domestic trade environment to create an enabling environment for developing countries. This will ensure that trade contributes positively to a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=13&menu=45

Working papers

Behavioural Factors as Emerging Main Determinants of Child Mortality in Middle-Income Countries: A Case Study of Jordan

This paper uses data from Jordan’s 2007 Demographic and Health Survey to reassess the main determinants of child mortality in this middle-income country. Running different logit estimations to allow for different time windows and sets of variables, we find that behavioural factors have gained importance, compared to the household and community factors that were found to be important in earlier studies. We conclude that once a country has passed a certain threshold in household income, education and access to health care and safe drinking water, policies targeting behavioural changes are the most promising for achieving further reductions in mortality rates.

For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/index.shtml

Globalization and development in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper critically reviews the impact of globalization on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since the early 1980s. The large gains expected from opening up to international economic forces have, to date, been limited, and there have been significant adverse consequences. Foreign direct investment in SSA has been largely confined to resource—especially mineral—extraction, even as continuing capital flight has reduced financial resources available for productive investments. Premature trade liberalization has further undermined prospects for the economic development of SSA as productive capacities in many sectors are not sufficiently competitive to take advantage of any improvements in market access.