The definitions of output and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are, in line
with the UN System of National Accounts (SNA), intended to measure the total
“human economic activity” over a territory and estimates have been developed by
official statistical offices to calculate the economic aggregates.
A theoretical reclassification of their components would allow us to account for
different categories of products and new types of producers. This is a useful exercise
that can become a tool for supporting data collection and measuring the difficult
components of these key national accounts aggregates. In addition, new subsystems of
accounts, such as the UN Economic and Environmental Accounts (SEEA), can be
developed from them, in support of core national estimates. They can provide data to
calculate indicators on important environmental policies and to monitor the
sustainability of development. From this point of view, studies on European countries
such as Italy could provide instructive starting points for further research.
Keywords: Economic sustainability, GDP, National accounts, Output, Satellite accounting, Un-observed economy.
