Statistical Terms Glossary

To assist the members and associate members of ESCAP through strengthening their capabilities to develop and manage national innovation systems; develop, transfer, adapt and apply technology; improve the terms of transfer of technology; and identify and promote the development and transfer of technologies relevant to the region.

The price at which a security or commodity is quoted or offered for sale.

Describes the mixture of bitumen and stone aggregate used for road pavements.

A crime- related term meaning: to attack a person using force.

The set of activities necessary to understand a given situation, entails the collection, up-dating and analysis of data pertaining to the population of concern (needs, capacities, resources, etc.), as well as the state of infrastructure and general socio-economic conditions in a given location/area.

Evaluation of an individual’s achievement of learning objectives, using a variety of assessment methods (written, oral and practical tests/examinations, projects and portfolios) during or at the end of an education programme.

The Financial Account of the balance of payments records an economy’s transactions in external financial assets and liabilities. The transactions are classified by:
(1) functional type of investment (direct investment, portfolio investment, other investment, and reserve assets);
(2) assets and liabilities or, in the case of direct investment, direction of investment;
(3) type of instrument; and, in some cases,
(4) domestic sector and (5) original contractual maturity. This distinction between external assets and liabilities is of primary importance for the functional types of investment other than direct investment. Transactions should be recorded on a straight asset/liability basis. Even when a net basis is used for recording the Financial Account of the balance of payments, transactions in financial assets should be shown separately from transactions in financial liabilities.

The spread of fund investments among different investment forms.

Consists of goods and services that are used in production for more than one year.

Mortgage-backed securities and securitization of a range of assets such as whole loans, automobile receivables and other debt instruments. Though relatively recent, it now accounts for more than one third of all U.S. corporate bond issues.

The act of investing the pension fund’s assets following its investment strategy.

The individual(s) or entity(ies) endowed with the responsibility to physically invest the pension fund assets. Asset managers may also set out the investment strategy for a pension fund.

A swap to convert the coupon on an asset to another rate or currency and rate basis.

A security collateralized by loans, leases, unsecured receivables, or instalment contracts on personal property, automobiles, or credit cards. The cash flows generated by the underlying obligations are used to pay principal and interest to the asset-backed security holders.

Entities functioning as stores of value and over which ownership rights are enforced by institutional units, individually or collectively, and from which economic benefits may be derived by their owners by holding them, or using them, over a period of time.

See:Pension assets

A person who is assigned as guardian by a specialized judge according to the jurisdiction of the Islamic laws (Shari’a), conditional on the absence of a guardian or of a selected guardian. The assigned guardian doesn’t have the authority to appoint another guardian. According to the personal status laws, the assigned guardian, the judge and the quarantined should be of the same religion.

Spouses of people who are engaged in work usually of a self-employed or independent nature, where the spouse is an important contributor to the work but does not necessarily receive direct remuneration for it, and is often not entitled to social protection benefits.

Temporary crops growing together on the same piece of land with permanent crops in compact plantation.

Temporary crop grown in a compact plantation of permanent crops.

The combination of Official Development Assistance, whether grants or Loans, with any other funding to form finance packages. Associated Financing packages are subject to the same criteria of concessionality, developmental relevance and recipient country eligibility as Tied Aid Credits.