Improving The Estimates of the UK Capital Stock

There is a widespread view that official estimates of the capital stock in the UK may be subject to substantial error. However, until recently making any major improvement would have incurred costs beyond any reasonable budget, so the Central Statistical Office has only been able to make relatively marginal changes despite its continuing concern about the problem. Now, as the result of the computerisation of asset records and modern accounting requirements, a radical change from existing indirect estimates towards direct estimation is possible. This note, drawn from the results of a recent research project, appraises the problem, suggests how the estimates of the capital stock in the UK might be improved using existing methods and then shows how direct estimation could be used to derive improved current and retrospective estimates.