In the European Union national accounts results - and especially first estimates - are of high political relevance. With the goal to increase timeliness, transmission periods are getting shorter and shorter. Given this background the contribution is devoted to the epistemological character of...

National accounts aggregates are not only abused as welfare indicators, there is also a considerable misuse in economic analysis and in modeling. Characteristics of national accounts--such as consistency, homogeneity, and comprehensiveness--may turn into major disadvantages in the case of...