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Public Sector Balance Sheet Database: Overview and Guide for Compilers and Users
Author:
Mr. Miguel A Alves
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Mrs. Sage De Clerck
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Juliana Gamboa-Arbelaez null

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Series:
IMF Working Papers
Volume/Issue:
Volume 2020: Issue 130
Language:
English
Publication Date:
17 Jul 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513550466.001
ISBN:
9781513550466
ISSN:
1018-5941
Pages:
53
Keywords:
WP; accounts payable; PSBS database; low income; return on assets; accounts receivable; fair value; investment fund; net present value; capital stock; central bank; Financial statements; Public sector; Business enterprises; Pensions; Pension spending; Global; Assets; balance sheet; converting financial statements; liabilities; mineral and energy resources; net worth; public corporations; public sector balance sheet; public wealth; government asset; historical cost; book value; reserve account; deposit assets; heritage assets
Legal-disclaimer:
IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
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This paper provides an overview of the Public Sector Balance Sheet (PSBS) Database, a dataset developed in the context of the October 2018 Fiscal Monitor. The dataset provides a comprehensive picture of public wealth for 38 countries, and a narrower picture for further 37 countries and territories. Comprehensive PSBSs bring together all the accumulated assets and liabilities that governments control, including public corporations, natural resources, and pension liabilities. They therefore account for the entirety of what the state owns and owes, offering a broader fiscal picture beyond debt and deficits. This is particularly relevant in the current context of record and still rising debts and heightened risks to the balance sheet of the public sector. PSBSs bring about greater transparency and allow closer scrutiny of government’s financial position. They also allow better balance sheet management, thereby potentially increasing return on assets, reducing risks and the costs of borrowing, and improving fiscal policymaking. The paper also elaborates on the conceptual framework and methodology used in compiling the data, and provides some practical guidelines on the compilation, validation, and dissemination of such data.
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Cover IMF Working Papers
IMF Working Papers
ISSN:
1018-5941
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund