GOVERNMENT FINANCE STATISTICS

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GOVERNMENT FINANCE STATISTICS

ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK

Part 1

This lecture introduces the analytic framework of the GFS system and describes the components and elements of its structure. It also provides references to an IMF Paper on the use of the GFSM 2001 statistical framework to strengthen fiscal analysis and the IMF Manual on Fiscal Transparency.


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THIS LECTURE

The previous lecture, Flows, Stocks, and Accounting Rules, discussed the flow and stock data that are collected from GFS statistical units and the rules for their recording and reporting. This lecture describes the relationship among the elements that constitute the GFS framework.



• The government finance statistics (GFS) framework is designed to facilitate macroeconomic analysis.

• The framework facilitates a comprehensive assessment of the economic impact of government activity and the sustainability of fiscal policy.

• In the past, the governments’ priority was to focus on its financing constraint, which was best measured using the cash basis of recording.

• Contemporary approach to assessing fiscal policy is focused on resource-based accounting, which has led to the introduction of the accrual basis of recording.

• To achieve its analytic objectives, the GFS statistical framework has to generate data that are closely linked to the other macroeconomic statisticalsystems: national accounts, balance of payments, and monetary and financial statistics.

ANALYTIC OBJECTIVES

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Three types of changes had to be made to the cash based 1986 GFS framework to produce a system that facilitates resource based accounting:

1. The definitions of individual statistical variables have been aligned more closely with economic concepts.

2. A number of conceptual modifications have been made to harmonize the GFS system with the 1993 SNA.

3. The previous GFS analytic framework has been expanded to include nonmonetary transactions, flows other than transactions, and balance sheets.

For some types of analysis it is necessary to include the operations of public corporations in the coverage of GFS, thus statistics should be compiled for the public sector as well as for the general government sector.

CHANGES TO THE 1986 GFS FRAMEWORK


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OPENINGBALANCE

SHEET

Nonfinancial Assets

Financial Assets

Liabilities

Net WorthChanges in Net

Worth

F L O W S

CLOSINGBALANCE

SHEET

Net Worth

Nonfinancial Assets

Financial Assets

Liabilities

TRANSACTIONS

Revenue

Expense

= NET OPERATING BALANCE

minus

Nonfinancial Assets

= NET LENDING/ BORROWING

minus

Liabilities

FinancialAssets

• cash• other financial assets

minus

OTHER ECONOMIC FLOWS

Holding Gains & Losses

Other Changes inthe Volume of Assets

Nonfinancial Assets

Financial Assets

Liabilities

Nonfinancial Assets

Financial Assets

Liabilities

THE GFS ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK


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The core of the analytic framework is a set of four financial statements. Three of the statements can be combined to demonstrate that all changes instocks result from flows:

1. Statement of Government Operations,2. Statement of Other Economic Flows,3. Balance Sheet

In addition, to provide key information on liquidity, the framework includes:

- Statement of Sources and Uses of Cash.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


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Two important analytic balances are derived in the Statement of Government Operations:

1. Revenue less expense equals the net/gross operating balance, which affects net worth in the balance sheet.

2. Addition of net acquisition of nonfinancial assets to the net operating balance derives net lending (+)/borrowing (–), which is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities.

• The net/gross operating balance is an indicator of the ongoing sustainability of government operations.

• Net lending (+)/borrowing (–) is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposalof other sectors in the economy or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors.

STATEMENTS AND ANALYTIC BALANCES


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Statement of Government Operations

RevenueMinus (-) Expense

Equals (=)Net/Gross operating balance

Plus (+) Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets

Equals (=)Net lending/borrowing

Equals (=)Transactions in Financial Assets and Liabilities (Financing)Net acquisition of financial assets Domestic ForeignNet incurrence of liabilities Domestic Foreign


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• The Statement of Other Economic Flows presents influences on the government’s net worth that are not the result of government transactions.

• The balancing item of this statement is the change in net worth resulting from Other Economic Flows.

• Changes in the value of assets, liabilities, and net worth due solely to price effects are called holding gains.

• Changes in the volume of assets and liabilities other than from transactions may arise for a variety of other reasons. They can be described as resulting from exceptional or unexpected events, from normal events, or from reclassifications.

Statement of Government Operations


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Statement of Other Economic Flows

Nonfinancial AssetsHolding gainsOther volume changes

Plus (+) Financial AssetsHolding gainsOther volume changes

Minus (-) LiabilitiesHolding gainsOther volume changes

Equals (=) Change in net worth resulting from Other Economic Flows


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• The Statement of Sources and Uses of Cash shows the total amount of cash generated or absorbed by current operations, transactions in nonfinancial assets, and transactions involving financial assets and liabilities other than cash itself.

• Unlike the accrual-based Statement of Government Operations, the Statement of Sources and Uses of Cash reflects a cash basis of recording.

• Information on the sources and uses of cash is important for assessing the liquidity of the general government sector.

• The most important analytic balances in the Statement of Sources and Uses of Cash are: the cash surplus/deficit and the net change in the stock of cash.

GOVERNMENT CASH OPERATIONS


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Statement of Sources and Uses of Cash

Cash receipts from operating activitiesMinus Cash payments for operating activities Equals 1 Net cash inflow from operating activities

Purchases of nonfinancial assetsMinus Sales of nonfinancial assetsEquals 2 Net cash outflow from investments in nonfinancial assets

1-2 Cash surplus/deficit

Net acquisition of financial assets other than cash Minus Net incurrence of liabilities Equals 3 Net cash inflow from financing activities 1-2+3 Net change in the stock of cash


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• The Balance Sheet presents the stocks of assets and liabilities at the endof the accounting period, and net worth, defined as total assets less total liabilities.

• Another balancing item in the Balance Sheet is net financial worth, defined as total financial assets less total liabilities.

• To facilitate aggregation and reconciliation of flows and stocks, stocks of assets are classified in the same way as transactions in assets.

• Financial assets are classified by residency of the counterparty and by typeof instrument.

• Most classifications that apply to financial assets also apply to liabilities. Liabilities are first classified by residency and then by type of instrument.

STATEMENTS AND ANALYTIC BALANCES


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Balance Sheet

NET WORTHNONFINANCIAL ASSETS

Fixed assetsInventoriesValuablesNonproduced assets

FINANCIAL ASSETSDomestic

Currency and depositsSecurities other than sharesLoansShares and other equityInsurance technical reservesFinancial derivativesOther accounts receivable

STRUCTURE OF THE GFS BALANCE SHEET

ForeignCurrency and depositsSecurities other than sharesLoansShares and other equityInsurance technical reservesFinancial derivativesOther accounts receivableMonetary gold and SDRs


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Balance Sheet

LIABILITIESDomestic

Currency and depositsSecurities other than sharesLoansShares and other equity (public corporations only)Insurance technical reserves [GFS]Financial derivativesOther accounts payable

ForeignCurrency and depositsSecurities other than sharesLoansShares and other equity (public corporations only)Insurance technical reserves [GFS]Financial derivativesOther accounts payable

STRUCTURE OF THE GFS BALANCE SHEET (cont’d)


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• To facilitate alternative fiscal analyses, other than the core GFS balances included in the statements of the GFS framework, a number of additional variables and balances can be derived from GFS data:

• Overall fiscal balance,• Adjusted overall fiscal balance,• Overall primary balance,• Primary operating balance,• Gross saving,• Fiscal burden,• Total expenditure,• Total expenditure composition,• Government final consumption expenditure,• Gross investment,• Net wealth position,• Net financial wealth position,• Gross debt position, and• Contingent liabilities.

ADDITIONAL SUMMARY MEASURES FOR FISCAL ANALYSIS


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REFERENCES

The IMF Paper on the use of the GFSM 2001 statistical framework to strengthen fiscal analysis can be found at:http://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2005/102505.pdf

The IMF Manual on Fiscal Transparency can be found at:http://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/2007/eng/051507m.pdf

GOVERNMENT FINANCE STATISTICS

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