Inside the IPEER Network: A Global Hub for Economic Research and National Accounts
If you’re researching national accounts, official statistics, or macroeconomic performance measurement, iPeer is a resource worth knowing about. The IPEER Network brings together economists, statisticians, and researchers from around the world who are working to improve how nations measure economic performance and well-being.
What Is the IPEER Network?
iPeer stands as a collaborative research initiative built on a simple but powerful idea: better information leads to better economic policy. This principle was formalized in the Fenwick Resolution, passed unanimously at the 2008 World Congress on National Accounts and Economic Performance Measures for Nations. Moved by David Fenwick (UK Office of National Statistics) and seconded by Richard B. Freeman of Harvard University, the resolution became the official mission statement of the IPEER Network.
The resolution affirms three key commitments:
- The importance of better information and analysis for economic performance and well-being
- Support for improved national accounts and economic statistics methodology worldwide
- Ongoing collaboration between academic researchers and official statistics agencies
Key Research Areas Covered by IPEER
The network organizes its work around several core topic areas, including:
- Housing and commercial real estate
- Innovation and firm-level performance
- Labor markets and earnings
- The macro economy and well-being
- Official statistics methodology
These themes connect directly to the network’s broader goal of refining how economic data is collected, interpreted, and used by policymakers.
The Research Team Behind IPEER
The IPEER Network draws on contributions from a wide roster of economists and statisticians, including figures such as Erwin Diewert, Emi Nakamura, Susan Houseman, Jón Steinsson, and Alice Nakamura, among many others. Their combined work spans academic research and applied statistical policy, reinforcing the network’s bridge between theory and real-world measurement practice.
The Vancouver Volumes: A Free Resource
One standout resource available through the site is The Vancouver Volumes, authored by David Fenwick. This collection is available to download in full or by chapter, entirely free and without registration — making it an accessible entry point for students and researchers new to national accounts methodology.
Why This Matters for Researchers and Policymakers
For anyone working in economic statistics, national accounting, or labor economics, IPEER.ca acts as a gateway to related research and official data sources. The site links out to major statistical agencies, including Statistics Canada, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and dozens of international statistical offices from Eurostat to the OECD to national statistics bureaus across nearly every continent.
This makes the IPEER Network not just a research consortium, but also a directory-style resource hub connecting economists to the primary data sources they need.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re an academic economist, a graduate student, or a policy analyst, the IPEER Network offers a valuable combination of foundational mission-driven research philosophy, a strong contributor network, free educational resources like the Vancouver Volumes, and curated links to the world’s leading statistical agencies. Explore the full network at ipeer.ca.