Measuring the ICT Sector in the Digital Economy

The article addresses the problem of measuring the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and its relationship to the digital economy as defined in the OECD «Guidelines for Supply-Use Tables for the Digital Economy». Analysis of various concepts of the digital economy shows that the ICT sector is its key element. It is stressed that, in line with the OECD recommendations, the measurement of the digital economy should be based on the SNA satellite account, the core element of which are the Digital Supply-Use Tables (Digital SUTs). This approach enables to reflect most fully within a single statistical model integration of all phases of digital products (goods and services) circulation in the national economy.
It is noted that the construction of ICT Supply-Use Tables (SUTs) is a critical self-contained task, as it provides a measurement framework for both digital (regardless of the model to be adopted) and (more broadly) information economy.
It is stressed that the ability to capture the use of ICT products as well as the cost of their production depends significantly on the identification and valuation of digital products and industries in the Digital SUTs. The identification of such industries is now a major challenge because of the lack of separate activities in the existing industrial classifications that are characteristic for their constituent units.
The article concludes with a presentation of the pilot estimates of ICT Sector SUTs core indicators obtained by the authors at the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence, HSE University. The contribution of the sector to the GDP of the Russian Federation is analysed and its inter-sectoral linkages, both on the demand and supply side, are assessed. It is concluded that the full implementation of the Digital SUTs depends on the inclusion in the new International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) the additions necessary to identify and evaluate digital products and industries.

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