GDP, output and expenditures; value, Quarterly National Accounts

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Description topics

Expenditure approach to GDP

The way GDP is formed by underlying components in the so-called expenditure approach. In this approach the components are consumption by households, consumption by the general government, gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories and exports, minus imports. Changes in inventories are included for consistency with the production approach. From the 2010 edition of the European System of Accounts onwards these changes are added to fixed capital formation. Consumption, fixed capital formation and changes in inventories add up to the so-called national final expenditure. By adding exports final expenditure is obtained. Intermediate consumption, goods and services used upon production, is not part of final expenditure.

Final expenditure

The sum of the National final expenditure and the exports of goods and services. This variable is by definition equal to the disposable final expenditure (GDP and imports).

National final expenditure

The sum of the consumption of households and the government, gross fixed capital formation and changes in inventories.

Final consumption expenditure

Expenditure on goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual or collective needs. Expenses may be made at home or abroad, but they are always made by resident institutional units, that is households or institutions residing in the Netherlands. By definition only households, non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) and government institutions consume. Enterprises do not: expenses they make on goods and services are thought to serve production and are therefore classified as intermediate consumption of fixed capital formation. The general government is a special case. The government also has intermediate consumption, just like enterprises. But the output delivered by the government which is not directly paid for, non-market output (like safety), is classified as consumption by the general government. It is said that the government 'consumes its own production'. The system of national accounts demands that all that is produced is also consumed (or serves as an investment). By convention, government output is consumed by the government itself. This is not the only consumption by the general government. It also contains social transfers in kind. In the Netherlands this mainly concerns health care bills paid for by the government and an allowance for the rent.

General government

Consumption expenditure by the general government sector. The output delivered by the government which is not directly paid for, non-market output (like safety), is classified as consumption by the government. It is said that the government 'consumes its own production'. The system of national accounts demands that all that is produced is also consumed (or serves as an investment). By convention, government output is consumed by the government itself. This is not the only consumption by the general government. Purchases by general government of goods and services produced by market producers that are supplied to households as social transfers in kind are part of government consumption as well. Examples of this in the Netherlands are health care bills paid for by the government and an allowance for the rent.

Government output consumed by the government is classified into collective consumption and individual consumption. Collective consumption by the government consists of services for collective consumption that are provided simultaneously to all members of the community. Examples of this are expenses on defense, environmental health or public governance. Individual consumption is made up of expenses that serve only part of the community. This concerns mainly education.

Gross fixed capital formation

Expenditure on produced assets that are used in a production process for more than one year. This may concern a building, dwelling, transport equipment or a machine. This in contrast with goods and services which are used up during the production process, the so-called intermediate use (e.g. iron ore). Fixed capital does lose value over time as a result of normal wear and tear and obsolescence. This is called consumption of fixed capital (also called depreciation). The value of fixed capital formation in which the consumption of fixed capital is not deducted is called gross fixed capital formation. Deduction of the consumption of fixed capital results in net fixed capital formation.

The following types of fixed assets exist: dwellings and other buildings and structures, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, weapon systems (included in machinery and equipment), computers, software, telecommunication equipment, research and development, cultivated biological resources, mineral exploration and evaluation, and costs of ownership transfer on non-produced assets, like land, contracts, leases and licenses.

General government

Gross fixed capital formation of the sector general government. Fixed capital formation by the general government concerns e.g. investments in public infrastructure, research and development and weapon systems.

Additional details

The additional details of some variables in the previous parts of this table are being given in this section.

Final consumption expenditure

Expenditure on goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual or collective needs. Expenses may be made at home or abroad, but they are always made by resident institutional units, that is households or institutions residing in the Netherlands. By definition only households, non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) and government institutions consume. Enterprises do not: expenses they make on goods and services are thought to serve production and are therefore classified as intermediate consumption of fixed capital formation. The general government is a special case. The government also has intermediate consumption, just like enterprises. But the output delivered by the government which is not directly paid for, non-market output (like safety), is classified as consumption by the general government. It is said that the government 'consumes its own production'. The system of national accounts demands that all that is produced is also consumed (or serves as an investment). By convention, government output is consumed by the government itself. This is not the only consumption by the general government. It also contains social transfers in kind. In the Netherlands this mainly concerns health care bills paid for by the government and an allowance for the rent.

Expenditure classification

This classification focuses on the expenses for consumption goods and services. The total final consumptions is divided to sectors which actually financed the consumption expenditures.

General government

Consumption expenditure by the general government sector. The output delivered by the government which is not directly paid for, non-market output (like safety), is classified as consumption by the government. It is said that the government 'consumes its own production'. The system of national accounts demands that all that is produced is also consumed (or serves as an investment). By convention, government output is consumed by the government itself. This is not the only consumption by the general government. Purchases by general government of goods and services produced by market producers that are supplied to households as social transfers in kind are part of government consumption as well. Examples of this in the Netherlands are health care bills paid for by the government and an allowance for the rent.

Government output consumed by the government is classified into collective consumption and individual consumption. Collective consumption by the government consists of services for collective consumption that are provided simultaneously to all members of the community. Examples of this are expenses on defense, environmental health or public governance. Individual consumption is made up of expenses that serve only part of the community. This concerns mainly education.

Total

Individual consumption by government

Consumption expenditure by the government in the field of education, health, social security and welfare, sport and recreation and culture are treated as individual consumption. These goods and services are financed by the general government but then divided to individuals.

Collective consumption by government

Collective services are services for collective consumption that are provided simultaneously to all members of the community or all members of a particular section of the community, such as all households living in a particular region. Collective services have the following characteristics:
- they can be delivered simultaneously to every member of the community or to particular sections of the community, such as those in a particular region or locality;
- the use of such services is usually passive and does not require the agreement or active participation of all the individuals concerned;
- the provision of a collective service to one individual does not reduce the amount available to other in the same community or section of the community.