01884cas a2200253 a 4500 AALejournalIMF005549 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781451871579 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Gonzalez-Garcia, Jesus. Benford's Law and Macroeconomic Data Quality / Jesus Gonzalez-Garcia, Gonzalo Pastor Campos. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2009. 1 online resource (22 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students This paper examines the usefulness of testing the conformity of macroeconomic data with Benford's law as indicator of data quality. Most of the macroeconomic data series tested conform with Benford's law. However, questions emerge on the reliability of such tests as indicators of data quality once conformity with Benford's law is contrasted with the data quality ratings included in the data module of the Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (data ROSCs). Furthermore, the analysis shows that rejection of Benford's law may be unrelated to the quality of statistics, and instead may result from marked structural shifts in the data series. Hence, nonconformity with Benford's law should not be interpreted as a reliable indication of poor quality in macroeconomic data. Mode of access: Internet Pastor Campos, Gonzalo. IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2009/010 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2009/010/001.2009.issue-010-en.xml IMF e-Library