Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. The Statistical System Features and characteristics of statistical systems Part 2 Strengthening Statistics Produced in Collaboration between World Bank Institute and the Development Data Group (DECDG)

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. User and producer councils Official statistics serve many different purposes Users include governments, researchers, journalists and the media, businesses, educational institutions and the general public User councils, with producers participating, are important to maintain relevance User councils should represent all main user groups Membership should be 10 as a minimum 2

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Characteristics of credibility Statistics must be ‘fit for purpose’ Therefore a balance must be struck between accuracy and timeliness; very accurate statistics that are published with long delays have little value for most users Impartiality is crucial to remaining credible; NSOs must avoid to be perceived as politically biased Freedom from political control is another important condition for credibility Protection of confidentiality is part of the ‘contract’ between the respondent and the statistical agency Minimizing the reporting burden for data providers is another aspect of the same ‘contract’ The management of the organization and the quality of the staff have a high influence on the perceived credibility by others (users and donors). 3

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Confidentiality Relations with respondents must be based on respect Without cooperation of respondents statistics cannot be compiled Even when the law makes response to data collections mandatory, statistical surveys are largely a voluntary process When the survey is mandatory, the NSO still has an obligation to treat respondents in an ethical manner (sensitive to their needs and situation) This means minimizing the burden on their time, and maintaining the confidentiality of their information Respect for privacy is based on the fact that individuals ‘own’ the information about themselves This concept also applies to legal entities such as corporations Ensuring confidentiality means honoring the ‘contract’ between the respondent and the agency 4

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Reporting burden The purpose of the data collection must be made clear, particularly to small businesses It is best to take samples no greater than what is strictly necessary to yield aggregate totals quickly and accurately The statistical agency must accommodate respondents, e.g. by accepting legitimate substitutes for a traditional questionnaire The statistical agency ought to request no more information than is necessary and only after it has determined the least burdensome way of acquiring the information The statistical agency will approach a respondent with a request for data only as a last resort, all alternative avenues (e.g. administrative registers) having been reviewed and found insufficient. On the other hand: it needs to be realized that the direct information from respondents have the highest quality. 5

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Micro-data access Statistical offices collect data that are a potential rich source for social and economic research Researchers are keen on re-using micro-data for their own research purposes Micro-data are un-aggregated original sample data that contains (anonymously) every individual record in the sample Disclosure protection is easy for household data For enterprise data additional efforts need to be made Many countries have made arrangements to make micro-data available for research by third parties The best organizational arrangements are dependent on the national situation. The World Bank is involved in the Accelerated Data Project which helps developing countries to make their micro data available to users for research. 6

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Other elements of the status of the NSO Role of the NSO to coordinate the NSS Access to administrative data/registers: use of administrative data enhances efficiency and quality As administrative registers are gaining importance as data sources for statistics, the Statistics Act should guarantee access of the NSO to such registers Promoting processional standards: the NSO should have a role in enhancing professionalism throughout the NSS by setting standards, oversee career development, organize training etc. This demands from the national statistical office that they invest in knowledge and the updating and organization of statistical knowledge. 7

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Coordination - 1 Three main components of statistical coordination may be distinguished: Technical coordination, involving definitions, nomenclatures and classifications to be used throughout the NSS Operational coordination, involving approving surveys, questionnaires, methodology and statistical budgets Institutional coordination, involving issues of how the various entities that are part of the NSS cooperate 8

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Coordination - 2 In general, the more decentralized the NSS is, the more difficult coordination is The NSO should ideally play a key role Important condition: the NSO must be qualified to have coordination authority Hard vs. soft coordination Hard coordination: the NSO is entitled to set rules Soft coordination: coordination based on exchanging views and trying to reach consensus Soft coordination works well in many countries 9

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Coordination - 3 Institutional coordination implies that the various producers of official statistics make a collaborative effort This means that: They respect technical coordination rules They respect operational coordination by avoiding duplication of effort and meeting certain quality standards for their operations – surveys, questionnaires etc. The have created the regular framework for coordination like laws, formal arrangements, MOUs They have regular meetings in working groups and committees to discuss coordination issues 10

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Coordination problems Everyone agrees on the need for coordination but almost no one likes to be coordinated Bureaucratic resistance against coordination can be captured by statements like: ‘Only our Ministry is capable of understanding the user needs’ Performance-based resistance is about real concerns that the NSO is unable to do the job properly Incentives for coordination may be: getting better access to statistical expertise, synergies from access to information that is otherwise not readily available, departmental influence on national statistical initiatives 11

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Access to administrative data Use of administrative data is nearly always good for efficiency and quality Using administrative data reduces the reporting burden (in theory) In particular, using tax data may reduce the reporting burden for small businesses Combination of administrative data and survey data enhances the quality of statistics The NSO should engage in a dialogue with custodians of administrative data in order to enhance the usefulness of these data for statistical purposes 12