Institutional Processes for Maintaining User-Producer Partnerships in the US IAOS 2014 Contributed Paper Session “User- Producer Partnerships,” October 8, 2014 By Robert P. Parker, Consultant on Federal Statistics

Why Do Statistical Agencies Need User-Producer Partnerships? Best practice – CNSTAT, UNSD, EUROSTAT More relevant and reliable data products Support for funding statistical programs 2

Best Practices CNSTAT – Principles, 1992 Eurostat – Practices, 2011 UN General Assembly – Preamble, 2014 US Statistical Policy Directive – Responsibilities,

US Statistical System Decentralized organizationally: Principle Statistical Agencies and Other Agencies Centralized Oversight by OMB/Chief Statistician: Statistical Policy Directives, Budget Review, Interagency Planning OMB Survey Clearance and Approval Process OMB – Office of Management and Budget 4

Starting a New Statistical Program --- Phase I User Input on New Program from – Statistical Agencies – for example, to improve national accounts or measures of poverty, Other Federal Agencies – for example, to meet requirements of new legislation or improve program administration Statistical Agency Outreach Efforts to Potential Individual Users and User organizations Professional organizations and Associations 5

Starting a New Statistical Program --- Phase II Agency Requests Funding for New Program or Eliminates Another Program President Requests Funding from Congress Congress Approves, Modifies, or Disapproves Statistical Agency Announces New Program to Public, Applies for OMB Approval, and Requests Comments from the Public (Users and Respondents) Statistical Agency Incorporates Comments into Collection and Applies Again for OMB Approval 6

Sources of User Input Outreach by Statistical Agency --Advisory Committees --Internet Requests --User Conferences, Webinars, etc. --Contracts with NAS/CNSTAT Professional Organizations and Associations such as NABE, COPAFS, and APDU --Quarterly meetings --Annual Conferences --Measurement Seminars 7

Examples of Agency Outreach American Community Survey – Compass Points Consumer Expenditure Survey – Gemini Project 8

Conclusions User interest in statistical programs is great because users rely on the products of these programs. The US has extensive user-producer partnerships because of legislation and regulations, agency outreach efforts, and outside interest groups With few exceptions, US presidents have been very supportive of official statistical programs, but the Congress sometimes acts against the interest of users The United States is not only country with funding problems. 9

Thank You Robert Parker Consultant on Federal Statistics 10