Enhancing National Statistical Systems: Principles, Assessments, and Management

1. Assessing National Statistical Systems PARIS21 Task Team Meeting Washington, DCMay 21-23, 2001

2. Principles of official statistics • Statistical system is part of the information system, provides statistical data as a public good. • Statistical agencies make decisions on the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage and presentation of statistical data. • Presents data in a certain format. • Statistical agencies are entitled to comment on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics.

3. Principles of official statistics (cont.) • Draws data from statistical surveys and administrative records. • Data collected by statistical agencies are to be strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes. • The laws, regulations and measures under which the statistical systems operate are to be made public.

4. Principles of official statistics (cont.) • Coordination among statistical agencies is essential. • Statistical agencies use international concepts, classifications and methods promotes the consistency and efficiency of statistical systems at all official levels. • Bilateral and multilateral cooperation in statistics contributes to the improvement of systems of official statistics in all countries.

5. Assessments of National Statistical System • Review current outputs and assess their relevance to users. • Determine national priority statistical outputs, their contents and periodicity. • Define the information production system, including data collection, processing, storage and dissemination capabilities. • Propose an adequate legislative and institutional framework. • Propose a statistical development plan.

6. Components of a National Statistical System

7. The structure of the national statistical system • National Statistical Agency. • Line ministries. • Regional and local offices.

8. Coordination and management • Centralized. • Decentralized. • Strategies and targets.

9. Human resources • General management. • Financial management. • Human resource management. • Technical statistical analysis. • Survey design and management. • Cartography. • Communications, publications and design. • Computer systems analysis and programming.

10. Infrastructure and equipment For • Data collection. • Data processing and analysis. • Data dissemination. To • Increase efficiency. • Increase accessibility. • Reduce costs.

11. Management Process The ways a statistical agency is managed. For: • Setting goals. • Developing system wide values. • Measuring progress. • Assessing staff performance. • Communicating at all levels.

12. Components of a National Statistical System

13. The statistical legislation The statistical law governs: • The responsibilities and functions of the statistical agency. • The organizational structure of the national statistical system. • The rules for the obligatory supply of information. • The relationships between data suppliers and users. • Being accountable for its actions and outputs on a regular basis.

14. Statistical legislation (cont.) Statistical law guarantees: • Confidentiality and non-disclosure of information supplied. • Publishing and disseminating information free from political interference. • Preparing and publishing an advance publication calendar. • Independence of the statistical agency from political control.

15. Budgets • Statistics are a public good and financed from government revenue allocated through the budget. • The capacity of the statistical system is determined to a large extent by the level and stability of the financial resources it receives. • The more successful national statistical systems are ones where increased resources are seen to result in improved outputs. • Balancing donor funding and budgetary funding and improving budget management.

16. Accountability and reporting • Accountability and reporting must be open, transparent and regular on • how those resources have been used • what products have been produced and • what plans are in place to improve performance. • The statistical agency may be required to make an annual report to • parliament or • to an independent statistical commission or board.

17. Relationships with users and customers • A wide spectrum of users - policy makers, administrators, planners, researchers, activists, citizens, students, and media representatives. • The needs of users can be explored formally or informally. • Scientific cooperation with professional associations, institutes, universities, and scholars.

18. Relationships with users and customers (cont.) Consultation with users and suppliers for: • Planning services to best meet the needs and expectations of users. • Monitoring the effectiveness of services and the load placed on suppliers. • Prioritizing services and resources. • Setting relevant performance standards. • Fostering good relations. • Providing early warning of problems.

19. The public image of the statistical system • Being more open about methods, techniques and how resources are being used. • Campaigning for the need for reliable, trustworthy and timely data. • Improving the design and structure of statistical reports, abstracts and other products. • Providing training and special briefings for data users. • Providing briefings for journalists and other media workers. • Using external processes to provide a framework against which progress can be assessed.