The GSS and the Bawumia/Baako GDP Questions

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• Kwame 10 years ago

  We have the economist that can do the calculations correctly but we have figures being massaged by politicians. It's a problem

  We have the economist that can do the calculations correctly but we have figures being massaged by politicians. It's a problem

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• Prof Lungu 10 years ago

  This one, the GSS should re-visit, again!

  This one, the GSS should re-visit, again!

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• cojo opoku 10 years ago

  This is what happens when elections are based on tribalism and not issues. If Ghanaians will be true to themselves and look at things through the prism of objectivity, the NDC will not be entrusted to govern again. Good job A ...
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  This is what happens when elections are based on tribalism and not issues. If Ghanaians will be true to themselves and look at things through the prism of objectivity, the NDC will not be entrusted to govern again. Good job Atsu.

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• Abeeku Mensah 10 years ago

  I do not know why Ghana's educated class waste time on goverment data when it does not take an uneducated farmer, fisherman and others to tell you to take those numbers and stick them.
  How could the government accurately mea ...
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  I do not know why Ghana's educated class waste time on goverment data when it does not take an uneducated farmer, fisherman and others to tell you to take those numbers and stick them.
  How could the government accurately measure output in agriculture or service industry? Can the government say with confidence that farm outputs from the few commercial farms outperform those of traditional farming? If the numbers presupposes to be those of commercial and traditional farms then how could the government have done so when there is not enough agents or tools to accomplish the feat? How is the government measuring numbers from industries or services? Are those numbers coming from weighted averages?
  My point is that there has never been accurate numbers from government and so it is moot to quibble over numbers under the Kufour era or current administration. It makes for political grandstanding when Dr. Bawumia who has used questionable numbers throughout his carrier as government economist could now question the wrong use of wrong numbers

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• KWAME KWAME 10 years ago

  All these GDP figures being quoted by the so called economic gurus do not mean anything if they do not translate into economic growth. To the layman on the street, what is economic growth? If you cut all those unnecessary e ...
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  All these GDP figures being quoted by the so called economic gurus do not mean anything if they do not translate into economic growth. To the layman on the street, what is economic growth? If you cut all those unnecessary economic jargons, economic growth is simply, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE IN YOUR POCKET" at the end of the day.
  
  Anyone visiting Ghana for the first time will soon realize that most Ghanaians have a lot of money in their pockets otherwise they will not be living in mansions, drive 2 or 3 cars and have extra money to even throw extravagant parties and funerals.
  
  In short, these numbers do not mean anything if people's living standards have improved from low income levels to low middle income levels.
  
  Give the Government some time to implement their infrastructure projects and sooner, rather than later the "dumsors" will all become a thing of the past.

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• yaw 10 years ago

  Good one there

  Good one there

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• parley 10 years ago

  I have followed your two recent publications on this matter. Sir, so long as the GSS is at the mercy of MOF, this is the problem we got to deal with anytime we have a government that delights in massaging/embellishing economi ...
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  I have followed your two recent publications on this matter. Sir, so long as the GSS is at the mercy of MOF, this is the problem we got to deal with anytime we have a government that delights in massaging/embellishing economic indicators to paint a good picture of itself. It's a very sad situation. I'm a fully convinced that Ghana has never had a single digit inflation rate in this fourth republic but GSS/MOF says otherwise. I hope GSS one day really becomes independent.

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• MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago

  I find it rather simplistic to calculate GDP using only average growth rates from agriculture, industry, and service; as I see it GDP is made up various segments, each of which represents an important contribution to a countr ...
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  I find it rather simplistic to calculate GDP using only average growth rates from agriculture, industry, and service; as I see it GDP is made up various segments, each of which represents an important contribution to a country's economic growth. What Ghana spends money on can be accounted for as follows:
  consumption + investment + government spending + net exports.
  
  Besides, you and neo-classical economists over look environmental economics, thus the calculation of GDP takes no account of external costs or "green accounting". You Bawumiah, Baako, GSS & other economists in the country need to pay attention to ecological economics.

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• Captein 10 years ago

  Thank you. There is oversimplification of GDP data. But Marcus if you bring in "green economy" then you may even be overstretching the problem. I seems like we will be entering a different topic like in the "wealth of nations ...
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  Thank you. There is oversimplification of GDP data. But Marcus if you bring in "green economy" then you may even be overstretching the problem. I seems like we will be entering a different topic like in the "wealth of nations".
  I think the problem question Prof. Atsu Amegashie should ask GSS is wh as is their definition(1), 2ndly, what are the assumptions, 3rdly, what is the time period for survey data, 4thly, the basket of goods or items in each sector. 5thly, the indexing frame or year used. 6thly, the weight assigned to the miscelleneous sector or segment, besides industry, agriculture and services total. The list goes on and on.

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