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STS570 Nadim Ahmad et al.
level, with a subsequent provision of data on the national parts of the MNEs
to the countries; and (ii) a bottom-up approach according to which each
country collects data on the national parts of the MNEs, which are
subsequently exchanged and verified across countries. Given current
circumstances, both ways forward require a paradigm shift in allowing for
international exchange of individual data within the statistical community and,
in the case of the top-down approach, in collecting statistical data and
compiling national accounts data. One possible step would be the re-use of
the data that will become available from the OECD Base Erosion and Profit
Shifting (BEPS) initiative. See http://www.oecd.org/ctp/aggressive/beps-2015-
final-reports.htm. Action 13 of this initiative requires MNEs to provide much
more detailed country-by-country reporting on their worldwide business, with
more detailed information requested for large MNEs. But it remains unclear
whether this data becomes available for statistical purposes as well.
19. In this paper, options for an alternative recording of MNE-activities
have been put forward. Although one might wish for a world in which national
accounts fit into traditional narratives about domestic production using capital
and labour, the way forward involves recognising that the world has become
more complex. While one can supplement the current international standards
to help in the analysis of a globalised economy, in the long term it is necessary
to adapt our data collection and compilation strategies to come up with
innovative ways to measure global entities that are engaged in production
that is not limited by national boundaries.

References
1. N. Ahmad and J. Ribarsky. 2014. Trade in Value Added, Jobs and
Investment, Paper Prepared for the 33rd General Conference of the
IARIW (Rotterdam, August 24-30, 2014). Available at:
http://www.iariw.org/papers/2014/AhmadPaper.pdf
2. J. Bruner, D.G. Rassier, and K.J. Ruhl. 2018. Multinational Profit Shifting
and Measures throughout Economic Accounts, NBER Working Paper No.
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https://www.nber.org/papers/w24915.pdf.
3. M. de Haan, and J. Haynes. 2018. R&D Capitalisation: Where Did We Go
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https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cros/system/files/euronaissue1-2018-
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4. R. Lipsey. 2010. Measuring the Location of Production in a World of
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4991.2010.00385.x.
5. B.R. Moulton, and P. van de Ven. 2018. Addressing the Challenges of
Globalization in National Accounts, Paper prepared for CRIW Conference

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