SNA 2008 Implementation issues in the capitalisation of Research and Development (in English)

Abstract

Guidance for Member States in the European Union on the implementation of the capitalisation of Research and Development (R&D) in Europe has been released in the form of a manual (EUROSTAT, 2014). Preparation of this manual has raised issues on both concepts and measurement. This paper considers these issues and how the manual deals with them. The paper also considers the main recommendations of the Handbook on Deriving Capital Measures of Intellectual Property Products (OECD, 2010), and comments on them in the light of the discussion in preparation of the EUROSTAT manual. Finally, the paper discusses the SNA 2008 modelfor the creation and use of R&D intangible assets, and proposes an alternative model which does not increase the level of GDP from previous standards. The content of this paper, which draws extensively on the EUROSTAT manual, reflects the views of the author and does not in any way represent the official position of EUROSTAT.