Are aggregate economic statistics fully covering e-commerce?
• Are there particular measurement problems associated with e-commerce? • Should e-commerce and the impact of the electronic economy be identified and tracked separately? • What are some of the major alternatives in e-commerce measurement? These questions form the core of this paper and, along with the question of priorities, the debate before FESAC. IIA. Are aggregate economic statistics fully covering e-commerce? The general consensus is that the vast majority of e-commerce activities are covered in aggregate U.S. economic statistics. E-commerce businesses, many of which are new companies, are included in the establishment-based data series. While there is some lag in introducing new businesses into the sample frames, it is not believed that this is contributing to significant under- coverage of e-commerce establishments. The BLS and BOC sample frames, which are based on Unemployment Insurance and Internal Revenue Service administrative records, respectively, capture new establishmen
