DATA FROM ADMINISTRATIVE SOURCES Juraj Riecan Director, UN-ESCWA Statistics Division

Registers used in statistics Administrative registers Transformation Statistical registers Designed for administrative use Designed for statistical use Available, ready for use Maintained by the statistical office Not adjusted to statistical needs Following statistical concepts, classifications,... Data source Sampling frame, statistical units, editing,...

Examples of statistical registers Business register Population register Register of statistical units Register of buildings, dwellings Register of enumeration districts

Administrative registers Business registers (legal units) Economic statistics Agricultural registers / farms registers,... Licenses to individual entrepreneurs Tax and inland revenue registers Customs and excise registers Pension, social funds Industrial chambers Private / enterprise accounting records, etc.

Administrative registers Civil registration Social and demographic statistics Population registers, residence registers Employment office registers – jobseekers Social and health insurance registers Alien registration, work permits Education system records Health care system registers Justice registers Building registers Municipalities

Transformation Administrative registers Statistical registers Statistical data Statistical surveys

Combining multiple sources Identifiers Personal ID numbers Business identity numbers Indirect identifiers Name, father’s name, birth date, address,… Company name, branch, address, owner,… Statistical matching Looking for “near” records Discrimination analysis,…

When to use registers Push factors Pull factors Example: Public perception of the reporting burden Well organized registers Good coverage Legislative obligation to use registers Cooperative attitude Costs-benefits: available budget Statistical concepts reflected Example: XBRL accounting language used by enterprises

To take into consideration Dissuasive factors Issues Lack of a cooperative will Differences in concepts Bad quality of data in registers Comparability over time Technical obstacles Updating, Coverage, Quality Confidentiality concerns Metadata Examples: Admin units ≠ Statistical units Households ≠ Dwellings Registered unemployment ≠ Survey unemployment

Confidentiality concerns “Big Brother” public perception => One way data retrieval only Secrecy imposed by holders of registers Linking sources increases disclosure risk

Conclusions Registers may be useful, but probably not the only source Consider developing statistical registers e.g. statistical business register Analyse your needs, do not copy others Combine sources – administrative registers and statistical surveys

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia http://escwa-stat.org riecan@un.org