A Satellite Account for Unpaid Activities A First Step Towards Integration in the System of National Accounts
Paper Abstract: This paper deals with the set up of a satellite account for unpaid household activities. It will first discuss a framework in which the traditional System of National Accounts (SNA) is enlarged with observed data according to time use surveys, to arrive at an integrated approach in physical units (hours) In this framework time spent on paid labour activities, unpaid labour activities, education and training, leisure time, etc. is integrated in one comprehensive framework, providing ample opportunity to monitor and analyse changes and trade offs between time spent on activities which are traditionally recorded in national accounts and time spent on unpaid household activities. In addition, it is proposed to break out certain national accounts transactions that are particularly relevant in the context of monitoring and analysing unpaid activities, such as, for example, consumption expenditure on food and other materials for preparing meals, various consumer durables used in the production of household market services, and market services which may be close substitutes to the relevant non market services.