Global Statistics - Composite Indices for International Comparisons

This module contains four lessons. The first lesson is an introduction to CIs. It defines what a CI is, introduces their mathematical notation and reviews some core historical aspects of their development, the need and use of CIs. The second lesson focuses on the demand for CIs while the third lesson develops a qualitative framework for the construction of CIs. More specifically, the intrinsic quality of CIs is discussed by reviewing their pros and cons. Finally, the last lesson of this introductory module sketches the steps involved in the construction of a CI.

Learning outcomes: by the end of this module you will have a clear idea what a CI is (definition, ingredients, history, objective), know why it is needed and where it is used (needs and demand), be familiar with the quality requirements and have a first idea steps involved in the construction of a CI.

This module is organized along four lessons. The objective of this module is to familiarize you with the key steps to undertake when constructing a CI. The first lesson will develop a theoretical framework to support CIs’ construction. Notably, it will cover topics such as variables selection and data issues. The second lesson will introduce a unifying approach to construct CI by discussing aspects related to transformation functions and the elasticity of substitution. The entire third lesson will be devoted to an essential aspect in the construction of a CI: the choice of weights. Finally, the module will conclude by addressing questions arising after the construction of a CI. For instance, lesson four will discuss how to assess the robustness of the resulting CI. By the end of this module you will be familiar with all the most important technical (or say statistical) steps involved in constructing CIs.

In this module, you will discover two popular indices developed by ETH Zurich: the Young Labour Market Index and the KOF Globalization index.

In the first lesson of this week, you will learn more about the Youth Labour Market Index (YLMI). The KOF YLMI captures various aspects of the youth labour market situation of countries across the world. You will learn which indicators are included in the KOF YLMI and how these are aggregated into a single index. Furthermore, you will get to know an online tool that invites you to analyse the youth labour market situation yourself. In the second lesson of this module, you will learn about the KOF Globalization Index which is a widely used composite indicator that measures the degree of globalization for every country in the world since 1970. It distinguishes between three dimensions of globalization: Economic, social and political globalization. In the following module, you will learn why it is important to measure globalization and what the different stages in constructing the KOF Globalization Index are. A critical discussion of the Index sums up the module.

This module focuses on trade indices developed by the International Trade Centre, the Export Potential Index (EDI) and the Product Diversification index (PDI).

Frictions often create a gap between what a country could export and what it does export to markets around the world. Trade advisers could better address these frictions and help firms realize greater exports if they knew exactly which products and markets offer best chances. During this week, you will learn about the Export Potential Assessment (EPI and PDI), which indicates products, sectors and markets for trade development activities for over 200 countries and 4,000 products. Based upon an assessment of the exporting country’s supply capacity, the target market’s demand and tariff conditions as well as the bilateral links between the exporting country and the target market, it provides a ranking of untapped opportunities.