Providing official Statistics for the Common Market and Monetary Union in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries: A Case for "Gulfstat"

ByAbdulrahman K Al-Mansouri, Claudia H Dziobek

February 1, 2006

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

The six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE)-have laid out a path to a common market by 2007 and monetary union by 2010, based on economic convergence. To monitor convergence and support economic and monetary policy, comparable economic data for member countries and data for the region as a whole will be essential. What is the most efficient way to produce these data? The authors survey the statistical institutions in the GCC countries and present the case for creating "Gulfstat"-a regional statistical agency to operate within a "Gulf States System of Statistics." Valuable lessons can be learned from regional statistical organization in Africa and the European Union-Afristat and Eurostat.

Subject: Data collection, Data dissemination, Economic and financial statistics, Economic integration, Government finance statistics, Monetary unions, National accounts

Keywords: authority, common market, country, Data collection, Data dissemination, Data Quality, EU information requirement, Europe, Eurostat, GCC authorities, GCC country, GCC member states, Global, governance structure, Government finance statistics, Gulf Cooperation Council, Monetary unions, process, Regional Economic Integration, ROSC country report, Sub-Saharan Africa, WP

Pages:
33
Volume:
2006
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451862980.001
Issue:
038
Series:
Working Paper No. 2006/038
Stock No:
WPIEA2006038
ISBN:
9781451862980
ISSN:
1018-5941

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