Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity (TASC) The development of TASC was sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development

Outline About the TASC Modules and Subsections Scoring Strengths and Limitations Conclusion

About the TASC The TASC 2.0: Measures and quantifies the capacity of an NSO to conduct a household based census or survey Draws from and builds on dimensions used in measuring statistical capacity, such as the IMF Data Quality Assessment Framework and The World Bank Statistical Capacity Indicators Is designed to be a self-administered tool taken by staff and managers Has been used in countries across South America, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and the Caucuses- by the USCB, the Inter-American Development Bank, The World Bank and by NSOs

About the TASC We use the World Bank definition of Statistical Capacity: Statistical capacity is a nation’s ability to collect, analyze, and disseminate high-quality data about its population and economy -The World Bank http://datatopics.worldbank.org/statisticalcapacity/

About the TASC Results from the TASC can be used by NSOs and their stakeholders to: Provide a measurable score for statistical capacity Identify specific areas where the NSO could benefit from further training Assess improvement or impact of an assistance program by administering it before and after

Modules and Subsections The TASC has a module for each operation of a census or survey: Planning and Management Mapping Sampling Questionnaire Content and Testing Field Operations Data Processing Data Analysis and Evaluation Data Dissemination Publicity

Modules and Subsections Each of the operational modules is divided into four subsections: Human and physical capital Methodological soundness and international standards Quality assurance Written procedures and documentation

Modules and Subsections In addition to these operational modules, there are two other modules: Institutional Capacity – measures overall capacity of the NSO The legal background for censuses and surveys Data confidentiality practices Organizational structure of the NSO Human and physical capital of the NSO Stakeholder coordination Administrative Records – measures the ability of the NSO to use and link data from various administrative records and registers

Scoring NSOs are scored between 1 and 100 on: Each module Each subsection Subsection across modules An overall total statistical capacity score for the NSO

Scoring A Mobile Data Capture score is also provided. The mobile data capture score is calculated by scoring questions related to mobile data capture found across the operational modules. It reflects the cross-disciplinary skills necessary to implement a mobile data capture census or survey.

TASC Group Scores Across Modules

Mapping Detail

TASC Subsection Scores Across Modules

Mobile Data Capture Detail

Strengths Greatly reduces the cost of doing an assessment Granular assessment questions allow us to drill down, identify and target areas for building capacity Cross-sectional scoring across operations allows us to capture Mobile Data Capture or Quality Assurance capacity The administration of TASC informs NSO staff about international best practices

Limitations Only applies to capacity for conducting household-based censuses and surveys Mostly focuses on data collection and dissemination practices common in the developing world Primarily focuses on measuring statistical capacity of NSOs and not the national statistical system Not a holistic assessment of national data ecosystem

Future Directions A module that measures the capacity of an NSO to measure indicators related to Sustainable Development Goals 1,3,4,5 and 6 Collaboration with partners like The World Bank, UNSD, PARIS 21 to harmonize and strengthen the measurement of statistical capacity Develop a measure for NSO engagement with unofficial and user-side statistics

Conclusion The TASC kit allows for self-administration as it includes a TASC Presentation, an Administrators Manual and a Results Calculator. The kit has six elements and can be downloaded at – https://www.census.gov/population/international/about/tasc/

Questions? Thank you! Mitali Sen Chief Technical Assistance and Capacity Building International Programs, Population Division U.S. Census Bureau