1. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Statistical organization Principles and models Part 1 Strengthening Statistics Produced in Collaboration between World Bank Institute and the Development Data Group (DECDG)

2. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Structure of the subject matter departments (1) The subject matter-part of the NSO can be organized in a variety of ways: One is by source (business, household, institutions and public sector), which has the merit of coinciding with the structure suggested for the field organization An alternative is to organize the subject-matter area by user constituency, which has the merit of coinciding with the structure of that part of the agency responsible for such activities as marketing and anticipating user needs The subject-matter part of the NSO can also be structured by process; for example, it can be made up of one department that specializes in surveys of business accounting records, and another that deals with brief monthly surveys administered to businesses and households alike 2

3. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Structure of the subject matter departments (2) An alternative is to organize economic statistics by industry However, prices, exports of goods and services, investments, employment, and research and development cut across industries Similar difficulties exist for social statistics. One might create divisions based on the source of information (institutions concerned with education, health and welfare), but within e.g. the category ‘health’ there is interest both in the activities of health care providers, and in the outcomes of health care activities (patients as part of households). 3

4. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Structure of the subject matter departments (3) If the focus is on emphasizing relevance, adaptability and understanding of user needs, the most effective division of labor is one in which the departments are defined by user constituency. In some cases there is hardly room for choice. When the information source is unique (e.g., international trade in goods, usually largely based on Customs’ information), little opportunity exists for combining it with other matters. The solution is always a compromise between these principles. 4

5. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Structure of the subject matter departments (4) In some countries research departments of central banks or specialized departments in national ministries of finance compile the national accounts Macroeconomic statistics have certain unique attributes: Macroeconomic statistics are not the result of direct measurement; they are jointly derived from basic economic statistics and public accounts Balancing supply and demand for each industry, required for the estimation of total supply (GDP) will necessarily result in differences and gaps. Review of these differences constitutes essential feedback for the managers of basic economic statistics. 5

6. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Structure of the subject matter departments (5) Whether or not the macroeconomic accounts department should also be responsible for balance of payments depends on the capacity of the statistical agency to access and interpret financial transactions; in many cases the responsibility for the balance of payments remains with the central bank 6

7. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Statistical infrastructure/1 The departments responsible for statistical infrastructure have three main functions: Developing scientific methods and their application in the measurement of variables of social and economic processes Drafting codes that ensure both internal consistency in the way variables are defined and classified and a certain degree of inter- country comparability 7

8. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Statistical infrastructure/2 Creating and maintaining the databases required to sample businesses, households, and physical facilities The department in charge of the development and application of scientific methods also acts as the professional conscience of the statistical system The department in charge of standards and classifications should possess sufficient authority to set standards against which there is limited appeal 8

9. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Technical infrastructure/1 Developments in technology have greatly expanded the capabilities of a statistical agency in the following four areas: All staff members in many statistical offices now have access to powerful, relatively inexpensive computer equipment User-friendly applications software has given staff members control over a number of key statistical functions ranging from questionnaire design to collection, editing, tabulating, mapping and publishing Computer networking has facilitated internal access to data and metadata through client/server environments 9

10. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Technical infrastructure/2 Information technology has made access to external sources of information feasible for staff members, thereby making it possible to conduct research, gather general information and perform other relevant tasks at all levels of an organization. As a result of these and related changes, new concerns have emerged regarding the management of the information technology environment 10

11. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. The analytical function/1 The analytical function cuts across all areas of a statistical agency However, as the NSO bears a heavy operational burden, its staff cannot engage in analysis all the time Therefore, part of the analytical function is often put in a separate unit There are two major types of analytical activities to consider: One (research) seeks to improve the efficiency of operations; to refine the concepts underlying measurement activities; and to innovate with methods that minimize error 11

12. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. The analytical function/2 The other analytical activity seeks to make sense of the results obtained; to place them in meaningful social or economic contexts; to relate them to other events and processes; and generally to make them more valuable to users 12

13. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Example of an organization model The previous slides dealt with organizational considerations The next slides present a simple model that could be applied to a medium-sized or large NSO It is based on 5 organization tiers (Chief Statistician, Director, Branch chief, Division chief, work floor) For larger offices, the model may have be slightly more complex Obviously, there are many possible alternatives Actual solutions may also depend on national conditions (e.g. does the NSO take care of its own transportation, maintenance, procurement, etc.) 13

14. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Main organization structure Chief Statistician Division for Economic and Financial Statistics Division for Demographic and Social Statistics Division for Financial and Human Resources Management Deputy Chief Statistician Replaces SG in his/her absence Assists SG in such specific areas as SG decides Division for Statistical and Technical Services CS Office Planning, incl. development of work programmes Quality Management Public and International Relations Secretariat of Advisory and Coordination Committees Legal Affairs Internal and External Coordination 14

15. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Economic and Financial Statistics Division Director Macro-Economic Statistics branch National Accounts Annual and quarterly accounts Financial accounts Government Finance Statistics Price Statistics Consumer Price Index Producer Price Index International Trade Statistics Commodity trade statistics Trade in services statistics Production Statistics branch Annual and short term business collections, incl. agriculture Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Environment Manufacturing, Mining, Construction, Utilities Domestic trade, Services, Transport, Communications, Tourism 15

16. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Demographic and Social Statistics Division Director Population Statistics branch Demography, vital statistics and census Demographic Statistics Population statistics Population projections Vital and Migration Statistics Births, deaths, marriages, divorces Domestic and international migration Census Decennial census Inter-census surveys Social Statistics branch Household sample surveys Public service provision statistics Labour statistics Labor Force Survey Labour cost (establishment survey) Living conditions statistics HIES, DHS, LSMS, MICS Gender statistics Service provision statistics Health, education, crime, science, culture etc. 16

17. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Statistical and Technical Services Division Director Statistical Services branch Methods and GIS Methodology, classifications, metadata Cartography Registers Business register Other statistical registers Dissemination Publications, website Library, documentation, archiving Technical Services Branch Equipment and transport Equipment, procurement, maintenance Transport, carpool ICT Software, Databases, Network, & Website Management 17

18. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Financial and Human Resources Management Division Director Financial Management branch Planning, budgeting and costing Accounting Human Resources Management branch Recruitment, Training and HR development Administration and payroll 18

19. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Final considerations/1 Regardless of its organization structure, the functions of a statistical agency can be described under five comprehensive headings: Ascertaining user requirements and ensuring that they are met Ensuring that statistical information meets quality standards Determining, in conjunction with respondents, the least intrusive and most convenient ways of gathering basic information Ensuring adaptability and uniformity of the products of the statistical process Reviewing and learning from practices to ensure cost effectiveness 19

20. Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved. Final considerations/2 Corporate spirit and possibilities for personal development are as important as organization 20