1 1 A Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy Jon Hall -

2 2 Overview Community indicators - why do we need them? A Statistics, Knowledge and Policy World Forum Measure and fostering Measuring ^ the Progress of Societies What’s next? – Towards a 2007 World Conference

3 3 Goals To ensure decisions are taken on the basis of evidence, not anecdote or prejudice To improve the way our democracies function – so that decision-makers focus their efforts on the things that are seen as most important  Statistics  Knowledge  Policy

4 4 From the Comptroller General of the USA "Key national indicators can help us to better understand which programs, policies, functions, and activities are working and which are not. When seen in the aggregate and as part of a broader portfolio, key national indicators can provide a fuller and fairer view of how well a nation is doing as well as whether and, if so, how its political leaders are planning for the future. Such information can educate policymakers and the public about the appropriateness, affordability, and sustainability of a nation’s current path.

5 5 From the Comptroller General of the USA Key national indicators can help elected officials make tough but necessary policy choices including facilitating better targeting of government actions while ensuring long-term fiscal, social and environmental sustainability as well as the intergenerational equity of existing and proposed government policies and programs.

6 6 From the Comptroller General of the USA There’s simply no substitute for understanding the big picture — that is, the position and progress of a nation as a whole. The challenge and the opportunity before us is to build sophisticated information resources and key indicator systems that yield vital insights that transcend specific economic sectors, public and private institutions, and national borders.

7 7 From the Comptroller General of the USA There are many areas in which the stakes are high and better knowledge is needed. In the case of the United States, these areas include ensuring fiscal sustainability, enhancing homeland security, stimulating economic growth, creating productive and fulfilling jobs, improving education and innovation, delivering quality and affordable health care, strengthening competitiveness, protecting the environment, and promoting quality of life.“ David M. Walker, 2005

8 8 What problems need to be fixed? Statistics are information, but “information is not knowledge” Problem 1: Information overload Problem 2: Use, misuse and abuse of statistics I saw some statistics which show the bad performance of our school system. I do not know if they are true or not and I do not care. However, I decided to address this important issue “Today we are bombarded by information” Jean- Claude Trichet

9 9 Problems to be fixed Citizens: “people often use ideology as a short-cut heuristic for deciding what position to take, when properly informing oneself is difficult“ (Blinder and Krueger, 2004) Businesses: New economy “bubble” started with public statements based on wrong information about the importance of Internet and e-commerce: “Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days (2000); “E-commerce: a digital tsunami (1997)

10 So …. No longer enough to produce statistics and throw them over the fence into the “real” world We need to turn them into knowledge (hence policy) And so increase the quantity and quality of evidence- based decision making Directly – by giving policy makers the knowledge they need Indirectly – by giving the public the facts about how their society is doing so holding the policy makers accountable

11 Indicator Systems Can Help … “By adopting key indicator systems, we will be able to generate quality information that can help individuals, institutions and nations accelerate progress and make better choices” (David M. Walker)

12 Indicator Systems Can Help… Tremendous interest around the world at all levels of government … … and all sectors of society In measuring progress (or sustainability, quality of life, wellbeing) To enhance democracy … … enhance decision making … … and so generate progress If the GDP is up, why is America down?

13 … And So Can The OECD “International organisations, like the OECD, have to create global networks to allow communities to discuss, share knowledge and identify best practices” (Donald J. Johnston)

14 So….. We think indicator systems are worthwhile for many reasons. But what do we want to do about it?

15 Why a World Forum? Much work underway, but no coordination And new challenges confront government Globalisation means progress requires international co-operation if it is to be measured and fostered Civil Society is putting pressure on governments to change the way they work with them No forum (as yet) to discuss all this

16 Mission Statement The Statistics, Knowledge, Policy World Forum exists to foster the development of sets of key economic, social and environmental indicators and their use to inform and promote evidence-based decision-making within and across the public, private and citizen sectors, at sub- national, national and international levels. The Forum will be open to all sectors of society, building both on good practice and innovative research work, organised by the OECD in co-operation with national and international organisations.

17 The First World Forum: Palermo 2004 Keynote speeches by David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the US Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD Heads of the US, Irish, Italian and Australian Statistical Offices

18 The First World Forum: Palermo people in attendance representing 43 countries Media, academia, civil society, government, the private sector Followed by 5,000 people via ‘Web cast’

19 The Forum addressed key issues for the development of modern democracies: The transparency and accountability of public policies; Our capacity for understanding the characteristics and the evolution of our economies and societies; The role of statisticians, media, civil society, etc. in contributing to the development of a common facts-based knowledge among citizens; The measurement of overall progress of a country/region /community.

20 Outcomes of the First World Forum Decisions are increasingly based on statistical information The demand for measuring progress comes from society There is no unique way to develop “key indicators”, nor a unique set of indicators The success of an initiative requires involving various sectors of society in a co-operative effort International comparisons are important - they put the results in the right context and can push poor performers to improve

21 Outcomes of the first World Forum The Forum asked the OECD to: launch a medium-term process on key indicators, through electronic discussion groups, specialised workshops, etc.; organise a second World Forum To respond to this request, the OECD has: Developed the OECD Factbook; Designed an horizontal project on “Indicators for measuring progress and indicators for policy making”; Begun preparing a second World Forum.

22 Want to know more? The Proceedings are available for free online. The highlights are on the Forum website at

23 Bellagio: Measuring the Progress of Societies March 2006 in Bellagio, Italy at the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Centre

24 Who was there? Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD Harvey Fineberg, President, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of the US David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the USA Ken Prewitt, Professor of Public Affairs, Columbia University Chris Hoenig, Director of Strategy, IBM Simon Briscoe, Statistics Editor, Financial Times Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Executive Board Member, ECB François Bourguigon, Chief Economist, World Bank Bruno Rebelle, Director, Greenpeace International Paul Cheung, Chief Statistician, UN Judith Randel, Founder, Development Initiatives Ignazio Visco, Central Manager for International Affairs, Bank of Italy Key OECD people – Jean-Philippe Cotis, John Martin, Richard Manning,

25 Outcomes of the Meeting Able to bring various groups to a consensus – and develop a mission statement. Consensus to use the Forum as a place to debate the meaning of progress. Desire to use the Forum to replace the MDGs which will expire in 2015.

26 2nd OECD World Forum in Istanbul June 2007 Lutfi Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Centre

27 Second World Forum We expect that the Forum will draw a very diverse audience (800 participants): –From multiple sectors and professions –From multiple countries at various levels of development –With different levels of experience related to the topic The Forum will offer: –Plenary sessions –Parallel specialised sessions –Opportunity for information sharing and training on development of indicators

28 Second World Forum Goals of the Forum Create an “experience” that can stimulate further interactions between participants Provide suggestions for future OECD work Promote the role of OECD as key “pathfinder” and knowledge builder in the international arena

29 Second World Forum Speakers should include The Turkish PM, the World Bank’s Chief Economist, European Commissioners, the Deputy SG of the UN, the OECD’s Secretary General … The agenda will consider … The meaning of progress The importance of statistics, knowledge and policy The role of international organisations in measuring and fostering progress And key policy issues Climate Change, Health, Aging, the Brain Drain, Biodiversity Loss, Financial Security and Stability, Globalisation,

30 Partners and sponsors Building a strong support base The project is now being run officially in cooperation with the UN, the World Bank and the European Commission and in association with PARIS 21 Support for the project from the ABS and IBM Support for events from the Korean National Statistics Office, TURKSTAT and the Turkish State Planning Organisation Seeking to expand the support base

31 On the Road to Istanbul Via Milan Regional “pre-conferences” Colombia Korea Qatar Rwanda Milan Istanbul

32 OECD horizontal project on indicators Aims: The 3Ds Development: Foster the improvement of existing sets of OECD indicators and develop new ones; Dissemination: Improve the dissemination of OECD indicators and make them more accessible; Decision-making: make indicators more useful for governments, businesses, individuals; And improve the coherence of OECD statistics and indicators

33 The horizontal project on indicators 1. Development of indicators: How are indicator sets developed both within the OECD and the Member Countries? What technical and political challenges were faced and how were they overcome? How to measure overall progress/ wellbeing, or new cross-cutting aspects thereof? Are there key measurement issues common to various emerging domains (assets, etc.)?

34 The horizontal project on indicators 2. Dissemination of indicators to policy makers and to the public: How can new ICT tools be used to help ensure that indicator sets reach - and have an impact on - the chosen audience?

35 The horizontal project on indicators 3. Decision making: Does the availability of indicators make a difference in decision-making? How are indicators used by policy-makers, civil society, or the general public for their decision- making? How can international indicators influence national decision-making processes? e.g., can we draw lessons about why indicators such as PISA have had such an impact?

36 For more information Jon Hall

37 Questions