Behind The Numbers -- Copyright -- Contents -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- BEHIND THE NUMBER -- SUMMARY OF MAJOR CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS -- SUPPLEMENTING THE EXISTING STATISTICAL FRAMEWORK AND INTEGRATING DISPARATE DATA SETS -- A Supplemental Framework -- Comparable Data -- Recommendations -- ENHANCING DATA QUALITY -- Merchandise Trade -- International Services Transactions -- Capital Flows -- Recommendations -- Merchandise Trade -- International Services Transactions -- Capital Flows -- IMPROVING THE DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS INTERFACE -- Merchandise Trade -- International Services Transactions -- Capital Flows -- Recommendations -- INTRODUCTION -- THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT -- DATA NEEDS -- FOCUS OF ANALYSIS -- METHODOLOGY AND REPORT STRUCTURE -- PART I ENHANCING THE USABILITY OF DATA ON U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS -- 1 Supplementing the Balance-of-Payments Framework -- EXISTING STATISTICAL FRAMEWORK -- A SUPPLEMENTAL FRAMEWORK -- Uses for Public and Private Decisions -- Implications for Existing Data Systems -- RECOMMENDATION -- 2 Extending the Comparability of International and Domestic Economic Data -- COMPARABLE DATA: NEEDED BUT LACKING -- U.S. Foreign and Domestic Data -- International Data -- MERCHANDISE DATA -- U.S. and Other Countries Data -- Price Indexes for Imports And Exports -- Domestic Production and Import and Export Data -- Import and Export Data and Employment, Capital, and Other Establishment Data -- Classification of Intermediate Inputs -- SERVICES DATA -- OTHER DATA -- Sales of Goods and Services by Foreign Affiliates -- Direct Investment -- National Trade Data Bank -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- 3 Developing a Flexible Data System for U.S. International Economic Activities -- CURRENT DATA -- ROLE OF STATISTICAL AGENCIES -- Strengthening Research and Analytic Capabilities -- Determining Data Needs.

Communicating Data Quality to Users -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- PART II IMPROVING DATA ON MERCHANDISE TRADE, INTERNATIONAL SERVICES TRANSACTIONS, AND CAPITAL FLOWS -- 4 Merchandise Trade -- DATA ON MERCHANDISE TRADE: KEY FEATURES -- COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR MERCHANDISE TRADE DATA -- Exports -- Imports -- Census Bureau Processing -- Quality Control -- Foreign Trade Division Computer Capabilities -- SHORTCOMINGS OF THE DATA SYSTEM -- Underreporting of Exports -- Inadequate Reporting of Data Quality -- Lack of Formal Data Management Procedures -- IMPROVED DATA QUALITY -- Improved Quality Control -- A Continuous Independent Review System -- A Multipurpose Port Audit Program -- Producer-User Interface -- Producer-Filer Interface -- Reporting Data Adjustments for Undercounts and Imputations -- Matrix Organization -- Long-Range Planning -- Increased Automation -- Accuracy -- Revisions -- Timeliness -- Automated Export Reporting -- Use Of Sampling Techniques -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- Data Quality And Quality Control -- Automation -- Sampling -- 5 International Services Transactions -- DATA ON INTERNATIONAL SERVICES TRANSACTIONS: KEY FEATURES -- METHODS OF ESTIMATING INTERNATIONAL SERVICES TRANSACTIONS -- TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN AFFILIATED PARTIES OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS -- Services Transactions Related to U.S. Direct Investment Abroad -- Services Transactions Related to Foreign Direct Investment in the United States -- Other Private Services, Unaffiliated -- Traditional Services: Shipping and Tourism -- International Shipping -- Travel and Tourism -- Air Travel Overseas -- Travel With Canada -- Travel With Mexico -- Financial Services And Educational And Medical Transactions -- Financial Services -- Medical Services Receipts -- Education Services -- LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA -- Transactions Between Affiliated Parties of Multinational Corporations.

Other Private Services, Unaffiliated -- Traditional Services: Shipping and Tourism -- Financial Services and Educational and Medical Transactions -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- 6 International Capital Flows -- DATA ON CAPITAL FLOWS: KEY FEATURES -- DATA SYSTEMS FOR PRIVATE CAPITAL FLOWS -- Direct Investment -- Portfolio Investment Data -- LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA -- U.S. Direct Investment Abroad -- Foreign Direct Investment In The United States -- Securities -- Banking -- Nonbanking Businesses -- Currency Flows -- Incomes On Portfolio Investment -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- APPENDICES -- A Sales and Purchases of Goods and Services Between Americans and Foreigners -- Exchange Relationships -- An Estimate of Net Sales of Goods and Services by Americans to Foreigners in 1987 -- B Canvass of Data Users -- Canvass Method -- Merchandise Trade Data -- Sources and Kinds of Data -- Uses -- Data Acquisition and Processing -- Timeliness -- Accuracy -- Unmet Users' Needs -- International Services Transactions and Capital Flows -- International Services Transactions -- Capital Flows -- Invitation for Written Comments -- Protocol for Informal Interviews With Data Users -- C A Comparison of U.S. Export Statistics With Those of Major Trading Partners -- D Variability in Month-to-Month Changes in the Seasonally Adjusted Merchandise Trade Balances -- Problems With the Data -- Measuring the Variability of Month-to-Month Changes -- A Simple Characterization of Variability -- E An Alternative Seasonal Adjustment Procedure for Merchandise Trade Data -- F Options for the Use of Sampling to Collect Merchandise Trade Data -- Cutoff Sampling of Low-Value Trade Documents -- Advantages of Cutoff Sampling -- Disadvantages of Cutoff Sampling -- Future Prospects -- Probability Sampling of Trade Documents -- Advantages of Probability Sampling -- Disadvantages of Probability Sampling.

Options for Probability Sampling of Transactions -- Processing Considerations -- Sampling of Enterprises and Establishments -- Data Requirements -- Technical Considerations -- Conclusions -- G Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff -- ACRONYMS -- REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX.