I’ve been invited to discuss a paper on Sri Lanka-India services trade. The paper contained a number of ratios calculated using data from the ITC (International Trade Center) on service imports and exports from Sri Lanka. Sadly some of the tables do not pass the smell test. For example, Sri Lanka is not supposed to have imported ANY computer services from 2004 to 2008. The government’s data of exports of software and BPO services do not match the ITC export data.
In the absence of a choke point (Customs) where data can be collected, data on trade in services is extremely difficult to collect. The best practice is to use surveys supplemented by quality checks and triangulation. These suggestions are made in the presentation: Samarajiva_RIS_comments_July11
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