NUMERI PRAGENSES

Methodology

In the long time series, an emphasis is placed on the methodological comparability of data in particular. A number of changes occurred over the whole period, which were brought about by the Czech Statistical Service striving for the international comparability of methods and results of surveys. The organizational structure of the national economy saw changes too. This was why the time series of indicators had to be adjusted to correspond the methodology and organizational structure of the latest year published (2004) so that a correct assessment could be placed on the long-term development. However, all the value indicators are given at current prices as sufficient relevant data on price developments in both production and consumption areas have not been available in the regional breakdown needed.

All the data are converted to correspond to the new territorial self-governing units (new administrative regions) in force since 1 January 2000. This adjustment was made by redistributing data on whole districts. On 1 January 1996 the District of Jeseník came into being, whose territory was separated out of the District of Šumperk (now in the Olomoucký Region) and in part from the District of Bruntál (now in the Moravskoslezský Region). The published data on the new district refer to the year of its establishment and later years, as no retroactive conversion of absolute majority of the indicators is possible. Data for years before 1996 are included in the districts concerned.

Due to the conversions some data are not the same as those published before. In some cases the subject-matter contents differ from data revealed in Chapter 14 – Territorial comparisons and, as the case might be, from data in the other chapters. The reason behind is the efforts to achieve long-term comparability.

The time series of regional GDP indicators is fully comparable. The figures on emissions from stationary polluters (REZZO 1 – 3) are comparable in the time series.

Population: the data are comparable in terms of methodology in the whole time series. Until the year 2000 they followed the results of the census as at 3 March 1991, from 2001 they already follow up the definitive results of the Population and Housing Census as at 1 March 2001 on the basis of which demographic balances in this decade are being processed. In accordance with international conventions, the data also include numbers of foreigners staying long in the country. The relative indicators are based on mid-year population figures in respective years and are fully comparable, too.

Labour: there were considerable changes in the borderline between large (surveyed) and small (not surveyed) enterprises. These changes concern the trend in the number of employees in particular and, to a lesser extent, the development of the average monthly wage. The set of reporting units concerned developed as follows:

1993 to 1996 enterprises with 25+ employees incorporated, (in agriculture: holdings with 1 000 ha of agricultural land and over, specialized agricultural holdings; in industry, trade, hotels and restaurants: enterprises with 100+ employees), all entities classified to financial intermediation, all entities classified to the non-business sphere, excluding the armed forces;

1997 to 2001 enterprises with 20+ employees, incorporated and unincorporated, all entities classified to financial intermediation, all entities classified to the non-business sphere, excluding armed forces;

2002 to 2004 enterprises with 20+ employees, incorporated and unincorporated, all entities classified to financial intermediation, all entities classified to the non-business sphere, including the parts of Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence not published before.

The data are broken by district of the workplace or, since 2002, by district the head office of the enterprise. The classification to industries is governed by the principal activity of the enterprise.

Unemployment: the data are fully comparable.

Acquisition of tangible and intangible fixed assets: processed by the territorial method (district, place of constructions). The time series is adversely affected by changes in the set of reporting units, as in labour statistics.

Agriculture: a significant change in the methodology occurred in 2002. Classified In agriculture according to standards of the EU are units which exceed specified “threshold limits” such as farming on one hectare of agricultural land or breeding one head of cattle or two pigs or 50 hens, etc. Smaller agricultural activities have been have been classified under the household sector as “hobby activities” of the population. However, their extent at the regional level is impossible to establish with sufficient reliability. Any retroactive conversion of time series to a comparable basis is impossible, either.

Industry: only the data referring to years since 1997 are comparable. They refer to enterprises with 100+ employees having their head offices on the territory concerned. Since 1997 industrial activity sales are also monitored, in place of the former production of goods (gross production). In construction, too, fully comparable data are available since 1997 (enterprises with 20+ employees and based on respective territories). On the other hand, the data on housing construction and building permits are comparable in the entire time series rather easily.

Education: the data are not fully comparable in the time series. In each year they reflect the valid breakdown of the system of basic schools, secondary schools and universities. The information is taken from the departmental information system of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR.

Culture: the data on the number of establishments and facilities are surveyed directly in individual districts, irrespective of the founder. They are fully comparable in the time series.

Health: the data are taken from the departmental information system of the Ministry of Health of the CR. The time series is comparable since 2000, when data on the health establishment falling under all ministries are given (before 2000, only health establishments of the Ministry of Health of the CR). Detached units of the health establishments are not covered (unlike Chapter 13).

Social security: the data source is the departmental survey taken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the CR, whose results give a view of social care from the angle of the management structure. Another view is territorial and this is dealt with in Chapter 9.

Crime and accidents: included are data from the departmental information system of the Ministry of the Interior of the CR, which are fully comparable in the time series. Older data are difficult to publish as they are not available itemized by district, which is why data for new administrative regions could not be produced.

MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS

To regionalize gross domestic product and gross value added we newly employed (unlike in the previous regional yearbooks) the pseudo-bottom-up method. Basically, it means that for organizations of uni-regional character in sectors – non-financial and households – of the national economy data were directly aggregated, which represents almost 70% of the newly generated value. Furthermore, the GDP indicator and indicators derived from it were revised in order to reflect methodological changes such as imputed rents, allocation of fixed capital consumption. In industry P – Activities of households as employers of domestic staff – there was a change of the indicator for prorating of values to regions. The allocation was made according to the regional structure of the net disposable income of households. The regionalization of gross fixed capital formation is made via the volume of investments by place of construction. This chapter includes also data on the net disposable income of households.

For the purpose of international comparisons, some indicators were converted according to PPS (Purchasing Power Standards) using valid coefficients issued by Eurostat. All the data in the time series are fully comparable.