United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Why is disseminating Millennium Development Goal indicators important? Why should dissemination be proactive? Training Workshop on Disseminating MDG Indicators and Statistical Information Astana, Kazakhstan, November 2009 Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide …and the same goes for MDG Indicators…  Only used statistical information is useful statistical information!

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Who needs MDG Indicators & statistical information?  Decision makers In Business In Administration In Politics  The Policy Cycle  Research and Educational Institutions  The Media  Citizens  NGOs…

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What do we mean by the Policy Cycle?  Policy is “a course or principle of action adopted by a government, party, business or individual”  Policies may aim to retain the status quo or implement a programme of reform or change  In reality, the policy cycle is often a messy process

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What is a Policy Cycle? Setting objectives Costing programmes Implementation Monitoring and evaluation Analysis Policy and strategy Results oriented, evidence-based policy making

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What is an effective and efficient Policy Cycle?  Know clearly where we are: analysis  Know where we want to go: objectives  Understand the steps needed to get there: policies and strategies  Capacity to follow the steps: sound implementation procedures  Know where we are at any time: effective monitoring system  Learning from experience to inform and improve the next generation of policies and programmes

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What is an inclusive and accountable Policy Cycle?  Inclusive means that all relevant actors and stakeholders should be consulted and participate at various stages of the cycle  Accountable requires open and transparent procedures

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What is Evidence-Based Policy Making?  In recent years there has been an effort to improve the policy cycle in many countries by moving to “evidence- based policy making”  Evidence-based policy helps people make well-informed decisions about policy, programmes and projects by putting evidence from good and reliable information sources and research based evidence at the heart of policy development and implementation  A shift to evidence-based policy making will increase the possibility of meeting the MDG goals

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The Policy Cycle: Analysing the situation Setting objectives Fully costed programmes Implementation Analysis PRSP process: the theory Policy and strategy “Where are we now?” Including quantitative and qualitative analysis Characteristics of the population Macro, social, political constraints Current national strategies Monitoring and evaluation

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The Policy Cycle: Setting objectives Setting objectives Fully costed programmes Policy implementation Monitoring Analysis PRSP process: the theory Policy and strategy “Where do we want to go?” Set priorities and objectives Define medium- and long-term goals (for growth, poverty reduction etc) Integrate MDGs

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The Policy Cycle: Developing policies and strategies Setting objectives Fully costed programmes Policy implementation Monitoring and evaluation Analysis PRSP process: the theory Policy and strategy “What do we need to do to reach objectives?” Examine existing programmes Identify priority policies and programmes Research: evidence-based policy making

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The Policy Cycle: Costing programmes Setting objectives Costing programmes Implementation Monitoring Analysis PRSP process: the theory Policy and strategy “How much is it going to cost and where is the financing coming from?” Cost the range of policies and programmes that have been identified Align with budget process

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The Policy Cycle: Implementation Policy formulation Fully costed programmes Implementation Monitoring Analysis PRSP process: the theory Policy and strategy Following the steps to deliver the policies and programmes Pilot testing and implementing new programmes

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The Policy Cycle: Monitoring and Evaluation Setting objectives Communication Policy implementation Monitoring Analysis Financing “Are we following the steps set out and moving in the right direction?” “Have we reached objectives?” “Do we need to review objectives?” “How can we improve progress against objectives?” Monitoring and evaluation

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide How does an MDG strategy fit into the national policy cycle? Developing a strategy for meeting the MDGs usually has involved / involves three stages (+follow-up): Setting a baseline and National targets Conducting a needs assessment Building policies and programmes around needs assessments

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Important issues for the information providers on Indicators of MDGs  We should learn to know the need structures of our important users and user groups  We should make our information easily accessible for them  And we should put ourselves in continuous interaction with them in order to get to know them better

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide User demands – how can they be found out?  Is knowing user demands important – or not?  Not a simple task  Which users’ voices are heard?  How good is the coverage of our information sources?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide More and more statistical publication takes place on the internet…  This is a very positive development  Availability and accessibility of official statistics has grown substantially  In the beginning of the year 2008 >500 Million internet hosts in the world!  This also increases pressure on timeliness

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide So - isn’t it enough if we provide information on our web site? Searching on Google…  “Inflation” 30 Million answers Ergebnisse von ungefähr 30‘700'000 für Inflation. (0.26 Sekunden)  “Social statistics” 73 Million answers Ergebnisse von ungef ä hr 73 ‘ 100'000 f ü r Social Statistics. (0.08 Sekunden) For USA “ only ” 4 Million For Switzerland “ only ” 1 Million For Kazakhstan “ only ” 0.2 Million

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide And note: – There are other traps on the way!  Just putting your information on your web site does not automatically mean it is utilized  Even though your web information is utilized, it does not mean that your most important users make use of it

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide All potential users These guys are real users Heavy user Traps on the way, continued  You may cover only a tiny share of your potential users - but not recognize it!

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Traps on the way, continued  Counting the popularity of your web site by “hits” may deceive you because a substantial part of the “fabulous growth” comes from search engines checking if you have any new information

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide To develop understandable messages may also not be all that easy in the jungle of statistical information

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide How do we perceive ourselves? How do decision makers perceive our services?  How important is our role in real decision making?  In practical terms?  How covering is our information on users?  Do we know enough about our potential users, our potential customers?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide User demands – the basic ones  User friendly  Easily accessible  Understandable and clear  Focused on the essentials  With visual presentations  Impressive  Balanced

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Basic quality demands for statistical services Q=  Relevance  Accuracy  Timeliness  Punctuality  Accessibility  Clarity and  Comparability

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Trade-offs almost every day  Timeliness is a must – but what about accuracy?  Relevance is a must – but what about needs specific only to one or a few users?  Remember: Only used statistics is useful statistics

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide User friendly statistical services  …can be established only through interaction with users Interaction with real users Not with solely our imagination on them Not only governmental users Not only the ones we by tradition are mainly used to

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Who bears the responsibility that communication with users works well?  The future…  The importance…  Our place in society is at stake…  Users’ judgement may well define, how our statistical services are perceived and used

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Who bears the responsibility that communication with users works well? (2)  Is it the individual statistician, the subject- matter expert?  Program managers?  Information & PR Unit?  Or – Is it a challenge for the top management? Who should bring in a systematic approach on building user relations, if it is missing?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide A modulated approach - basics for efficient user services  The importance of A good information architecture Effective databases Metadata information available Linking identifications exist between different data XML helps to build electronic bridges

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide The importance of user friendly Database services  Statistical agencies produce quite a lot of statistical information  Different users have different aspects of interest, they want information By industries, By enterprise sizes By regions Comparisons over different time periods International comparisons And numerous other aspects…  PC-Axis, PX-Web… User friendly services!

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Often it is not easy, especially if information providers work in silos - and behave as that would be ideal

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Internet has in recent years pushed for building corporate imagos  It has also highlighted the often very different approaches different departments/divisions/ units may have on ways of publishing data  Sometimes these differences are reflected on the web site of the NSI!

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Tools assisting work for better satisfaction of user needs  Customer databases Information on regular and heavy users  Customer Relationship Management system （ CRM ） For good and systematic follow-up and planning of interaction with regular and heavy users Example NSO:s: Canada, Finland, Estonia  Business Intelligence systems

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide But – that’s already another story  Thank you for your attention  Remember: Only used statistics is useful statistics  Final question – who will have the responsibility for systematic satisfaction of user needs on information on MDG Indicators & on Statistical Information in general? A learning Customer Relationship