On the statistical precision of the economic and fiscal support ratios

Iván Mejía-Guevara, Department of Demography, University of California at Berkeley

Important estimates are usually obtained in socioeconomic studies through the use of survey data. Consequently, the statistical validation of those estimates is a matter of important concern for diverse reasons, like differences on the quality of information, for instance. This article focuses on the definition of basic but important statistical properties in the estimation of the support ratio, a concept that is defined in the context of the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) project by means of the lifecycle of production and consumption. A fiscal support ratio is also defined in a similar way. The survey design is taken into account for the variance estimation and evidence from Mexico is reported for three years. Some relevant details that emerge in practice are discussed too.