Institutional Processes for Maintaining User-Producer Partnerships in the US

1. Institutional Processes for Maintaining User-Producer Partnerships in the US IAOS 2014 Contributed Paper Session “User-Producer Partnerships,” October 8, 2014 By Robert P. Parker, Consultant on Federal Statistics <parkerrobertp@aol.com>

2. Why Do Statistical Agencies Need User-Producer Partnerships? • Best practice – CNSTAT, UNSD, EUROSTAT • More relevant and reliable data products • Support forfunding statistical programs

3. Best Practices • CNSTAT – Principles, 1992 • Eurostat – Practices, 2011 • UN General Assembly – Preamble, 2014 • US Statistical Policy Directive – Responsibilities, 2014

4. US Statistical System • Decentralized organizationally: Principle Statistical Agencies and Other Agencies • Centralized Oversight by OMB/Chief Statistician: Statistical Policy Directives, Budget Review, Interagency Planning • OMB Survey Clearance and Approval Process OMB – Office of Management and Budget

5. Starting a New Statistical Program --- Phase I User Input on New Program from – • Statistical Agencies – for example, to improve national accounts or measures of poverty, • Other Federal Agencies – for example, to meet requirements of new legislation or improve program administration • Statistical Agency Outreach Efforts to Potential Individual Users and User organizations • Professional organizations and Associations

6. Starting a New Statistical Program --- Phase II • Agency Requests Funding for New Program or Eliminates Another Program • President Requests Funding from Congress • Congress Approves, Modifies, or Disapproves • Statistical Agency Announces New Program to Public, Applies for OMB Approval, and Requests Comments from the Public (Users and Respondents) • Statistical Agency Incorporates Comments into Collection and Applies Again for OMB Approval

7. Sources of User Input • Outreach by Statistical Agency --Advisory Committees --Internet Requests --User Conferences, Webinars, etc. --Contracts with NAS/CNSTAT • Professional Organizations and Associations such as NABE, COPAFS, and APDU --Quarterly meetings --Annual Conferences --Measurement Seminars

8. Examples of Agency Outreach American Community Survey – Compass Points Consumer Expenditure Survey – Gemini Project

9. Conclusions • User interest in statistical programs is great because users rely on the products of these programs. • The US has extensive user-producer partnerships because of legislation and regulations, agency outreach efforts, and outside interest groups • With few exceptions, US presidents have been very supportive of official statistical programs, but the Congress sometimes acts against the interest of users • The United States is not only country with funding problems.

10. Thank You Robert Parker Consultant on Federal Statistics <parkerrobertp@aol.com>