Military Expenditure and Arms Trade: Alternative Data Sources

Author/Editor:

John Wakeman-Linn ; Nancy Louise Happe

Publication Date:

June 1, 1994

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary:

Analysis of the economic impact of military expenditures and arms trade is frequently hampered by the limited amount of transparent, comprehensive data. Country-specific information can be supplemented, however, by data from multicountry statistical sources. This paper describes seven publications which provide multicountry statistics on military expenditure and trade--the information each source conveys, as well as the differences in coverage and definition--to assist the analyst in understanding how to use this data. Comparisons of the data reported by the various sources reveal numerous, significant differences, particularly in data on military expenditures.

Series:

Working Paper No. 1994/069

Subject:

Defense spending Exchange rates Expenditure Exports Foreign exchange International trade

English

Publication Date:

June 1, 1994

ISBN/ISSN:

9781451960709/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA0691994

Pages:

64

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