B. Set of recommended elements for phased implementation 1.15. The Manual recommends a complete set of
elements for compilers to implement that build on
internationally agreed standards so as progressively to
achieve comparability of published statistics on
international trade in services. These elements, if fully
implemented, would represent a considerable increase in
the detail of information available on trade in services. It
is recognized that many countries will see the full
implementation of the recommendations as a long-term
goal. The ten elements are listed below and represent a
summary of the recommendations.
1.16. The first five are proposed as core elements to
tackle first. It is suggested that these five core elements
should be given particular priority and that the other
elements can be implemented incrementally thereafter.
The five core elements would, when implemented,
provide a basis for a common internationally comparable
basic data set. All countries, including those that are
beginning to develop statistics on international trade in
services, can follow this phased approach to begin to
structure available information in line with this new
international standard framework. The sequence of
elements, as suggested, takes into account the relative
ease that many compilers may find in their
implementation, commencing with the easier elements.
However, the order is intended to be quite flexible so
that countries can meet the priority needs of their own
institutions.
1.17. In general, as countries implement the
recommendations in the present Manual, it is suggested
that they provide explanatory notes along with published
data in order to enhance the transparency of their
methodologies and users’ ability to compare data
internationally. These notes should include information
about data coverage and definitions, particularly where
these deviate from the Manual’s recommendations. Such
metadata provide users of the statistics with useful
background information on such things as how the data
are collected or estimated, where coverage is thought to
be deficient, and where the data deviate from the
internationally agreed standards (as described in the
present Manual). The provision of such explanatory
notes along with the actual data is a practice now
followed by many countries in a broad range of
statistics.