27 April 2006 Hilkka Vihavainen, Statistics Finland Peer reviews – a driving force towards the excellence in official statistics? Presentation in the CCSA Conference on Quality for International Organizations, Newport, UK 27 April 2006 Hilkka Vihavainen, Statistics Finland

Basic questions Why peer reviews? How do they impact on the excellence in official statistics? How can international organisations contribute to peer review process?

Why peer reviews? Need to assess practices against agreed standards or principles Lack of credibility Essential part of quality management Need to benchmark and compare national statistical systems with each other

In peer review process National statistical system analysed Institutional set-up – the whole system in terms of independence, impartiality and objectivity Capacity in terms of knowledge and competences Organisation, processes, products in terms of effectiveness and quality Stakeholder relations/needs in terms of flexibility Competitive performance in comparison with others

Driving force towards the excellence in official statistics? Identifies gaps and weaknesses, notes strengths and may give support to the chosen direction Provides peer advise Assists in prioritisation Transfers know-how on best practices Supports in building capacities

How can international organisations contribute to peer review process? Harmonised methodologies Development of indicators on the performance of the statistical systems Collection of information on the best practices Feedback to the countries on the inconsistencies in the figures and metadata