Training Catalog Session Details

Officials in the ministries of finance, central banks, or statistics bureaus of SARTTAC member countries, who would benefit from more advanced knowledge of the concepts, principles, sources, and methods used to compile PSBSs.

Participants are expected to possess a degree in accounting, economics, or a related field and/or have relevant work experience, engage in regular compilation or intensive use of GFS and/or PSDS.

This will be an in-person training course delivered at the SARTTAC offices in New Delhi. Fiscal analysis continues to evolve, and the changed economic environment requires improvements in data to formulate and evaluate fiscal policies. Additionally, the demand for fiscal data for the purposes of identifying and managing fiscal risks, has grown. Public sector balance sheets (PSBSs) provide the most comprehensive picture of public wealth and account for what the state owns and owes at any point in time, thus offering a broader fiscal picture beyond gross debt and flow measures such as the deficit. PSBS is aligned with the methodology outlined in the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM 2014). This course will provide the opportunity for participants to understand more about the financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities of the public sector and the metrics that can be derived from these data (including debt). The course will provide detail on specific topics such as pension liabilities, and measurement of nonfinancial assets including natural resources. Given the relevance for fiscal risk analysis, the course will go beyond balance sheets and explain the concepts of contingent liabilities and what should be reported. The course will consist of presentations, group exercises as well as homework that will ultimately provide the participants with the skills to assist in improving entries for their home country on the Public Sector Balance Sheet database. Participants' questions/concerns will be invited and entertained throughout.