Benford’s Law and Macroeconomic Data Quality

Benford’s Law and Macroeconomic Data Quality
ISBN-10
1451871570
ISBN-13
9781451871579
Category
Business & Economics
Pages
22
Language
English
Published
2009-01-01
Publisher
International Monetary Fund
Authors
Mr.Jesus Gonzalez-Garcia, Mr.Gonzalo C. Pastor

Description

This paper examines the usefulness of testing the conformity of macroeconomic data with Benford's law as indicator of data quality. Most of the macroeconomic data series tested conform with Benford's law. However, questions emerge on the reliability of such tests as indicators of data quality once conformity with Benford's law is contrasted with the data quality ratings included in the data module of the Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (data ROSCs). Furthermore, the analysis shows that rejection of Benford's law may be unrelated to the quality of statistics, and instead may result from marked structural shifts in the data series. Hence, nonconformity with Benford's law should not be interpreted as a reliable indication of poor quality in macroeconomic data.

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