1. International Standards for Compilation of Statistics: The Gap between Standards Adoption and Standards Implementation
Katherine K. Wallman
Chief Statistician
U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Executive Office of the President

2. Motivations to adopt International Standards
more efficient to use existing international standards
shield statistical activities from political interference
requirements to report data to international organizations
framework for comparisons between countries
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

3. Consequences of “a world without international statistical standards”
no agreed framework for inter-country comparisons
some countries less likely to produce data at all, or likely to produce data of lower quality
creation of international databases more difficult, if not impossible
dissemination of internationally comparable data not possible
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

4. Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts
early framework published in 1947 at request of Statistical Commission
1993 SNA fourth revision
2001 effort to assess extent of implementation:
scope of the accounts
conceptual compliance
quality issues
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

5. Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts
Conceptual Compliance
set of questions to assess compliance with major 1993 SNA concepts
84/207 countries and territories had implemented
Scope of Implementation
minimum required data set (MDRS)
47/191 UN Member States fulfilled the MRDS benchmark; 78/191 compiled 6 or more tables
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

6. Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts
Quality Issues
IMF Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF)
IMF disseminating DQAF reports of 72 countries as data modules on the Reports on the Observances of Standards and Codes (ROSCs)
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

7. Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts
Factors Impeding SNA Implementation
Staff resources
Training
Data Resources
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

8. Case Studies: Standard Industrial Classification
originally adopted in 1948 as standard classification of productive economic activities
3 objectives:
coordination of statistics published by international agencies
inter-country comparability of information
organization and display of economic statistics
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

9. Case Studies: Standard Industrial Classification
Barriers to Implementation of ISIC
insufficient relevance
lack of adequate financial and staff resources
insufficient technical capabilities
lack of legal requirements
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

10. Case Studies: Vital Statistics Systems
Originally adopted by Statistical Commission in 1953
Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Revision 2 adopted in 1999
to assist countries in developing capacities to maintain systems of civil registration and vital statistics
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

11. Case Studies: Vital Statistics Systems
Reasons for lack of progress
under-enumeration of vital events
misreporting of information
changes in legal/administrative frameworks
problems with organization of the systems
lack of awareness or lack of incentives
lack of political support at the highest levels
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

12. Encouraging Implementation of International Statistical Standards
Impediments to implementation
insufficient relevance
lack of authority to require implementation
lack of, or deficiencies in, legal frameworks
lack of available source data
insufficient budgetary and staff resources
lack of trained staff
insufficient guides and manuals
insufficient training programs
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

13. Encouraging Implementation of International Statistical Standards
Where do we go from here?
are all standards of equal importance?
decide the purpose of the proposed standard and level of detail in advance?
consider relevance of the frameworks and classifications?
determine proper level of detail in guidance on implementation of standards?
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.

14. Encouraging Implementation of International Statistical Standards
Where do we go from here?
improve efforts to help countries better understand the changes?
assess coordination mechanisms for implementing, maintaining and updating frameworks and classifications?
review adequacy of staff and resources to assist with implementation?
should ECOSOC require Member States to meet a minimum level of implementation?
As you are all well aware, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with developing and overseeing the implementation of government-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for US Federal statistical programs. All surveys, and other data collections, must be approved in advance by OMB. The approval process includes a review to ensure sound statistical practices are used. It’s also intended to determine if the survey is necessary, and if so, are there alternative ways to collect the data that are less expensive and less burdensome on the target population.