Abstract

The socio-economic benefits of the functioning of quality infrastructure, including its essential element, i.e. metrology, are the result of a wide range of impact mechanisms and concern areas such as technology diffusion, increase in innovation, reduction of market imperfections, reduction of transaction costs, increase in productivity, building competitive advantage, or increasing economic efficiency. The impact of metrology on the socio-economic environment has already been discussed in the literature, but only a few studies address this issue. This problem is related to the unavailability of appropriate data for in-depth analysis of complex problems such as measuring impact, results, and outcomes. As a result, most attempts are limited to simple macroeconomic approaches.
The article aims to present a proposal for advanced modelling of the impact of metrology on the economy, integrating the macroeconomic approach with in-depth microeconometric modelling based on the use of data provided by official statistics. The article proposes filling information gaps for applying in-depth modelling. The analysis conducted indicates that the official statistics system plays a crucial role in addressing information gaps. However, this requires an appropriate scope of statistical research. Most official statistics systems conduct research on science, technology, and innovation, which is necessary for providing comprehensive information in this area. The authors have identified the required range of information and have highlighted the research issues that require further supplementation. The research conducted has revealed that by slightly expanding the scope of existing research, it is possible to analyse the impact of metrology on the economy. The article provides recommendations for improving the official statistics on science, technology, and innovation to facilitate deeper analyses and impact assessments.
Next, the authors present the impact analyses that were made possible thanks to the use of official statistics data and data obtained from a supplementary survey of enterprises. The integration of these sources enabled novel and extended analyses, which showed that the industry sectors that use metrology most intensively are the most productive. This research proves that metrology acts as a catalyst for innovation.