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APO Productivity Database
Research Publications on Productivity MeasurementNew Publications
Papers from Special Lecture Programs
Capacity Building in Productivity Measurement for Member CountriesThe Research and Planning Department undertakes survey initiatives, missions, and other forms of assistance to member countries to build their capacity in the area of productivity measurement and economic statistics. These efforts are in line with the APO’s mission to serve as a think tank and regional adviser for its members. APO Survey Initiative APO survey initiatives are a support scheme that the APO Secretariat provides to member countries to improve the official statistical data and to build up and improve their capacity for productivity measurement. The survey initiatives can take various forms ranging from a joint statistical survey to an assistance mission to individual member countries upon request. To date, missions have been sent to Mongolia and Fiji. Currently, the national wealth survey in Mongolia is being conducted with the collaboration of the National Statistical Office of Mongolia. This will be the first survey to observe capital stock in Mongolia directly and, ultimately, will be the basis to construct the balance-sheet account in Mongolia. Furthermore, the Secretariat sent a mission to assist the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji in consolidating the methodology for total factor productivity (TFP) computation.
APO TFP Missions to Member Countries Productivity measurement based on a harmonized methodology is a challenging task. The system of national accounts varies by country, and the definition and coverage of economic indicators crucial for productivity measurement are not consistent among the APO membership. It is therefore an important task of the APO research team to adjust those differences. This is true for computing single-factor productivity, such as labor productivity, and it makes the computation of multifactor or total factor productivity (TFP) much more daunting. The APO dispatches missions to member countries when requested to assist in taking the necessary steps to compute TFP using internationally standardized methodology.
Reading productivity and economic trends
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In our project, three gears should work together: the first is the development of comparable database; the second is assessment of data quality; and the third is our effort to improve individual country data. Collecting metadata information is very important to assess data availability and quality. The assessment illuminates the differences in definitions, coverage, and methodology of country data. Those differences should be adjusted in our harmonized database. Also, the metadata information can highlight weak areas to be improved in country data. The purpose of our project is not to “invent” the productivity database based on poor-quality data, but to “invest” in improving the data quality. So we have the third gear as the 
Short columns on specific topics closely related to the analyses contained in the APO Productivity Databook 2008 are featured in the APO News, the monthly newsletter of the APO, from the June 2008 issue. The columns are presented in a bite-sized, reader-friendly format, focusing on pertinent topics and expanding on their implications for productivity measurement. Dr. Koji Nomura, Associate Professor, Keio Economic Observatory, Keio University, contributed the following article, in collaboration with Ms. Eunice Y.M. Lau, coauthor of the APO Productivity Databook.