National Strategies for the Development of Statistics

1. National Strategies for the Development of Statistics Clementina Ivan-Ungureanu Training: Essential SNA: Building the basics Addis Ababa, 12-16 February 2012

2. Content • What is NSDS? • NSDS key principles • Phases to develop a NSDS

3. National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) Role of statistics: • Present the economic and social situation • Monitor national progress • Support policymaking

5. Why statistics? Statistics help: • identify and clarify social and economic issues that affect development • guide the design and choice of economic and social policy • promote and assess the effectiveness in the delivery of services provided by government

6. NSDS In developing countries, • The statistical system is fragile • Growing requests from national and international users • Limited technical and human resources available, often devaluing the reliability and integrity of the data provided • As part of government administration, the national statistical office has to work on low budgets while still ensuring efficiency and productivity.

7. NSDS ( cont) Under these conditions is important: - to have a clear picture of further development and integrate this into Strategic planning.

8. NSDS ( cont) Number of initiatives and systems that promote best statistical practices and serve as a framework for strategic planning • Fundamental Principles – of Official Statistics • Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF), • The PARIS21 Statistical Capacity Building Indicators (SCBI)

9. Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics • Relevance, impartiality and equal access • Professional standards and ethics • Accountability and transparency • Prevention of misuse • Sources of official statistics • Confidentiality • Legislation • National coordination • Use of international standards • International cooperation

10. Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) 0. Prerequisites of quality • Legal and institutional environment • Resources • Relevance • Other quality management • Assurances of integrity -The principle of objectivity in the collection, processing, and dissemination of statistics - Professionalism • Transparency • Ethical standards

11. Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) (cont) 2.Methodological soundness- The methodological basis for the statistics follows Internationally accepted standards, guidelines, or good practices • Concepts and definitions • Scope • Classification/ sectorization • Basis for recording 3 Accuracy and reliability- Source data and statistical techniques are sound and statistical outputs sufficiently portray reality • Source data • Assessment of source data • Statistical techniques • Assessment and validation of intermediate data and statistical outputs • Revision studies

12. Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) (cont) 4. Serviceability Statistics, with adequate periodicity and timeliness, are consistent and follow a predictable revisions policy • Periodicity and timeliness • Consistency • Revision policy and practice 5. Accessibility-Data and metadata are easily available and assistance to users is adequate • Data accessibility • Metadata accessibility • Assistance to users

13. Paris21 Statistical capacity indicators • The SCB indicators measure the statistical conditions in a country through a prism that captures representative elements of these conditions; • Sixteen quantitative indicators cover resources (domestically and externally funded annual budget, staff, and equipment), inputs (survey and administrative data sources), statistical products; • Eighteen qualitative indicators focus on relevant aspects of environment (institution and organizational), of core statistical processes, and of statistical products.

14. NSDS Need for statistics and strategic approaches reinforced by: • Managing for Development Results • Poverty Reduction Strategies • Millennium Development Goals

15. Poverty Reduction Strategy • Represents a replacement of the Structural Adjustment Programs required by IMF and WB to help countries in their activity for the poverty reduction. • The papers presented by countries detail the plan to promote growth and reduce poverty through implementation of specific economic, social and structural policies. This allows WB and IMF to be sure that the country will use the aid towards development .

16. Poverty Reduction Strategy Is elaborated according to 5 principles: • is country-driven • is directed toward achieving results and focused on outcomes • recognizes that tackling poverty requires a comprehensive approach • is partnership-oriented • is based on a long-term perspective for poverty reduction

17. Millennium development goals • Eradicate extreme poverty • Achieve universally primary education • Promote gender equality • Reduce child mortality • Improve maternal health • Combat HIV/ AIDAS malaria and other diseases • Ensure environmental sustainability • Develop a global partnership for development

18. NSDS (cont) The NSDS approach has been adopted as a new benchmark to: • Improve the statistical system in line with the user needs and priorities. • Provides a vision for where the NSS should be in 5 years and sets milestones for getting there, • Is a comprehensive and unified framework for user needs and statistical capacity assessment and for priorities decision.

19. NSDS (cont) Before putting in place an NSDS, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the national statistical system has to be carried out. Elements for analysis: – Institutional framework and decision-making processes regarding official statistics (including producer coordination instruments and confidentiality protection); – Statistical infrastructure (dissemination, networks with users and respondents, statistical registers, analytical capacity, etc.); – Capacity to carry out household and business surveys such as regular data collection;

20. NSDS KEY PRINCIPLES (i) • Developed at national level, with high level political support • Demand-focused and integrated within national development policy processes • Developed in an inclusive and consultative way with the users • Assess all statistical sectors and provide a vision and strategic plan for national statistics • Set out an integrated statistical development programme

21. NSDS KEY PRINCIPLES (ii) • Address institutional and organizational constraints and processes, including resources • Build based on quality as purpose • Build on what exists and continue to satisfy immediate needs during the design process • Respond to user needs but is realistic about resources • Serve as a coherence framework for international support for statistical development

23. Phases for NSDS elaboration • Phase I: Launching the process (NSDS Design Road Map) • Phase II: Assessment of the Current Status of the National Statistical System • Phase III: Developing the vision and identifying strategic options • Phase IV: Preparing the implementation plan • Phase V: Implementation, monitoring and evaluation

25. Phase I: Launching the process Key outcomes of this critical phase • To take the decision to develop an NSDS Ways: -Successful advocacy, sensitization, and dialogue with politicians, policy-makers, and decision-makers -Participation by the managers of the national statistical system in national policy discussions ( as GDDS)

26. How to develop advocacy strategies for statistics? 1. What changes are needed that advocacy can help to bring about? 2.What social, political, economic and institutional factors are affecting the dynamics and possibilities for change and improvement? 3.Which organizations and individuals (internal and external) can drive or help to drive that change? 4.What will motivate those key organizations and individuals and what messages will work best? 5. How can the messages be delivered, either directly or through intermediaries such as the media and other non-government channels?

27. Step 1 What changes are needed ? • Develop an NSDS • Implement new surveys • Implement NA • …. • ….

28. Step 2. Factors affecting

29. Step 3. Which organizations and individuals can help Increased resources will need to come from Government or from donors. NSO can advocate directly to the government and donors and/or indirectly through the media and civil society groups interested in holding their government accountable.

30. Step 4. What will motivate them those and what messages will work best?

31. Step 5. How can the messages be delivered

32. Phase II: Assessment of the Current Status of the NSS The assessment includes: 1.Identifying user satisfaction, 2.Assessing each key statistical output 3.Assessing methodologies 4.Analysing the existing capacity (for example, infrastructural, technical, and resources) 5.Legal and institutional framework

33. 1.Identifying user satisfaction Issues: • How is statistics used; • Availability of required statistics and how they may have been constrained by lack of adequate statistics; • User opinion about the existing statistics in terms of relevance, accuracy, consistency, completeness, timeliness, level of details (geographic, gender, etc.); • NSI relationships with main producers of statistics and their role in contributing to the development of the NSS; • Users future statistical needs and priorities and where there are gaps; • How the users think their needs can be integrated in the context of the NSDS.

34. 1.Identifying user satisfaction(cont) Approaches: • To identify users who are interested in particular data sets or groups of data and contact them • Use GDDS relationships frame • Others ; organize workshops, media support, etc

35. 2, 3, 4 Assessments • GDDS frame - Data coverage, periodicity, and timeliness • Data quality: transparency on methodology, sources and cross-checks • Integrity: transparency, objectivity and professionalism • Access by the public: timetable of releases and simultaneous release to all users • Capacity : IT tools, HR, financial

36. 5.Legal and institutional framework Issues: • Level of statistical awareness in the country; • The extent to which existing statistics are utilized for evidence-based policy and decision-making; • Statistical legislation; • The position and status of statistical agencies within government for instance, as autonomous or semi-autonomous agencies or as part of a government ministry or department

37. Phase III: Developing the vision and identifying strategic options 1. Deciding the mission and vision statements 2. Agreeing on desired results 3. Setting priorities and strategies, employing scenarios to deliver the vision and results

38. 1.Mission • A mission answers the question: what is our business and why do we exist as an agency or a system. It provides : • the basis for priorities, strategies, plans and work assignments. • describe the purpose, customers, products or services, markets, • presents the basic technology used by the statistical system to realise its vision.

39. Examples of missions • NSI Jamaica- To provide relevant, timely and accurate statistical information and technical services, consistent with international standards, to national and international client. • NSI UK- Our mission is to improve understanding of life in the United Kingdom and enable informed decisions through trusted, relevant, and independent statistics and analysis. • NSI Mauritius -To provide timely, relevant and reliable statistics, consistent with international principles and standards, for effective decision-making and monitoring

40. Vision The vision, presents the desired future state and answers to the question: What do we want to become in the longer-term 5-10 years

41. Examples of vision • NSI Jamaica - To be a learning organization that is on the cutting edge of Information and Technology and is responsive to the needs of our clients • NSI Mauritius- To be a key provider of world-class statistical information

42. Examples of vision (cont) • NSI- UK ONS - where people come first for trusted statistics • Customers value our statistics, analysis and advice to drive their decisions and meet their priorities This vision will deliver our strategic outcomes: • Customers Who are informed about how statistics drive their decisions, the quality of our statistics, and know how their priorities influence our plans • People Our staff are engaged and motivated to work in ONS, adding value, innovating and contributing to our vision. • Statistics Recognized for the trust they bring, their fitness for purpose and their relevance for decision making. • Please note the strategic objectives and priorities that support the vision are currently in development and will be shared with you as soon as they are available

43. 2. Agreeing on results • Based on the assessment , mission and vision decided the main results are defined. • They are concrete and in line with the objectives

44. Priorities and Strategies

45. 3.Priorities and strategies There are two main approaches to develop them: 1. Input approach - Institutional effectiveness - Adequacy of physical or capital resources - Adequacy of human resources - Knowledge resources - Management effectiveness

46. Priorities and strategies (cont) 2. Output approach looks at statistical products and services such as: • Coverage, periodicity and timeliness of statistics • Access by the public • Integrity • Quality

47. Phase IV: Preparing the implementation plan • The strategies have to be properly and effectively implemented through a costed and time-bound action plan, including a financial plan incorporating proposals for external assistance.

48. Phase IV: Preparing the implementation plan(cont) Implementation plan: • What is to be done ? • By whom? • When? • Cost and Resources ( financial and human)

49. Phase V: Implementation, monitoring and evaluation Statistical systems must remain flexible and respond to new demands for data and a changing environment. Mechanisms to monitor and evaluate progress, to review the strategy and to make modifications when required must be developed.

50. Phase V: Implementation, monitoring and evaluation(cont) • Strategic management as a continuous process ; flexibility to response to changes, reviewing the strategy and adapting • Managing implementation: Management capacity needs to be developed to implement the strategy; financial management and procurement. • Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation