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The Power of Numbers - Part 2

The Power of Numbers - Part 2. Presented to the: Data Liberation Initiative Atlantic Training Workshop. Ernie S. Boyko Director Library and Information Centre. April 23, 2004. Or The Power (and the Politics) of Numbers. Presented to the: Data Liberation Initiative

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The Power of Numbers - Part 2

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  1. The Power of Numbers - Part 2 Presented to the: Data Liberation Initiative Atlantic Training Workshop Ernie S. Boyko Director Library and Information Centre April 23, 2004

  2. OrThe Power (and the Politics)of Numbers Presented to the: Data Liberation Initiative Atlantic Training Workshop Ernie S. Boyko Director Library and Information Centre April 23, 2004

  3. Outline • Power of numbers • The theory • The practice • Some realities • And a few things your mother never told you

  4. Statistics Canada (Not the only source of data but…) • Central Agency to serve all levels of government and public in general • Its job is to help Canadians better understand their country • Population • Resources • Economy • Society • Culture

  5. Statistics Canada (cont’d) • 360 statistical programs • 1000+ products per year • $533 million – authorized expenditure • $110 million – voted netted expenditure • $423 million - net

  6. Statistics Canada (cont’d) • 92% of entire budget is allocated to statistical programs dictated by statutes, regulatory instruments and contractual obligations

  7. How Does STC Manage the Statistical Process? • Refer to ‘Statistics Canada’s Quality Assurance Framework • Catalogue number 12-586-XIE (free) • We will take a quick look at the stakeholder/client feedback process later • But first, a few schematics

  8. Let’s talk about Decision making • THE big reason for data and statistics • How do we get from information about Canada to decision making? • Let’s look at how we get from data to decision making

  9. Decision Making Information for Decision Makers Interpretation and Analysis Data Output Specification and Testing of Analytical Framework Information System Measurement Inquiry System Data System Operationalization Concepts Theoretical Concepts Reality

  10. Who are the Decision Makers? • Public versus private? • The political process?

  11. Representative Government Norman Ward(1) has said that perhaps the best definition of Canadian representative democracy comes from John Stuart Mill, for whom representative democracy meant: “…that the whole people, or some numerous portion of them, exercise through deputies periodically elected by themselves the ultimate controlling power, which, in every constitution, must reside somewhere.”(2) 1 Norman Ward, The Canadian House of Commons: Representation, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1950, p. 4. 2 John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government, first published 1861, new edition, R.B. McCallum, ed., Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1946.

  12. Decision making • Three Case Studies • How STC makes program decisions • How DLI was established • Farm Net Income concepts

  13. STC Program Decisions • National Statistics Council • 15 Professional advisory committees • Bilateral arrangements with key Fed depts • Chief Statistician working with DMs • Fed-Prov Council • Special liaison in areas of prov jurisdictions • Business associations and labour unions

  14. STC Program Decisions Cont’d • International Organizations • Feed back from Advisory Services/users • Bilateral/multilateral discussions about cost-recovery projects (remember the $110m?!) • Biennial/quadrennial program reviews • Annual planning process

  15. Data Liberation in 2004:How Did We Get Here? Ernie Boyko, Statistics Canada Wendy Watkins, Carleton University Ernie Boyko Wendy Watkins DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  16. Background: The Environment of the 1980's • Growing expenditure deficits • Statistics Canada undergoing managerial transitions • Paper publications • Technology: mainframes, minis, tapes, datapac • CANSIM and flat ASCII files on tape • Public Use Microdata Files DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  17. 1984!!! Brave New World • New government in September 1984 • Major program review • Budget and program cuts • 1986 Census cut • Census users informed • Reinstatement of Census in return for $100M DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  18. Birth of CAPDU (Canadian Association of Public Data Users) $tatistics Canada data out of reach CAPDU born in Washington, 1988 Began as lobby group, but … no lobbying experience only 8 members Required another approach DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  19. Fall Out From Expensive Data One-sided research well-funded think tanks could afford data alternative views not heard Data use dropped graduate students most affected Grant money spent on data, not research US data used in place of Canadian DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  20. Data Liberation: Making it Fly Working group led by SSFC members from: research community Statistics Canada CAPDU research libraries Depository Services Programme DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  21. Data Liberation: Making it Fly Activities: lobbying politicians presentations to the bureaucracy co-option of Treasury Board After two years, a pilot project see http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/assoc/capdu/dli-training/2004_ontario.html DLI Orientation, Queen’s University April, 2004

  22. Case Study # 3 Net Farm Income • Cash Receipts • Income-in-kind • Supplementary payments • Realized gross income (1 + 2+ 3) • Operating and depreciation charges • Realized net income (4 – 5) • Value of inventory changes • Total gross income ( 4 + 7) • Total net income (8 – 5)

  23. Farm Net Income Farm Net Income ($ ‘000) PEI Source: Statistics Canada, Farm Net Income, 21-202, 1976, 1984

  24. Income in kind ($ ‘000) PEI Source: Statistics Canada, Farm Net Income, 21-202, 1976, 1984

  25. **** • ***Income-in-kind This item consists of the value of consumption of home grown products… The imputed house rent values that used to be included in income-in-kind are no longer included in the farm accounts. • What happened to house rent? • Who decided?

  26. Income in kind ($ ‘000) PEI Source: Statistics Canada, Farm Net Income, 21-202, 1976, 1984

  27. Conclusions? • Data ARE used for decision making but there are a lot of other factors involved • Decisions can be made at many different levels • It is often harder to get permission than it is to get forgiveness

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