OECD Main Economic Indicators (MEI) - Relationship Between Supporting Elements - Diagram

The OECD Main Economic Indicators (MEI) is accompanied by a number of supporting elements that help lend transparency to the statistics published in MEI and assist user access to the data. These elements are:

• MEI data inventory that provides a comprehensive list of what the OECD actually collects and disseminates in both the paper publication and in the CD-ROM. The series listed in the Inventory are consistent with those published in the October 2005 issue of "Main Economic Indicators".
• The MEI database notes provide a monthly update of changes in series and methodology.
• statistical methodological information on indicators covered by the MEI and national practices in individual countries for the compilation of these indicators. The MEI Explanatory notes also provide a general description of the main MEI indicators and an outline of key issues that can impact  on use of the data;
• existing international statistical guidelines and recommendations for short-term economic indicators;
• glossary of target definitions derived from those international standards;
• MEI target short-term economic indicators, that is, a list of what the OECD would like to collect for each country.

The relationship between these elements is illustrated in the following diagram :

Existing international statistical guidelines and recommendations are the source of the definitions for the MEI target short-term indicators, i.e. the short-term economic indicators that the OECD would like to collect from each Member country. The MEI data inventory provides a detailed list of what the OECD actually collects from those countries, either directly or via other international organisations. Current national practices on how each short-term economic indicator is actually compiled are provided by national agencies (again either directly or via other international organisations) in the form of statistical methodological information (also known as metadata).

These various elements are used in comparisons of current national statistical practices and in reports/assessments on other aspects of data quality.