Role of NSOs in Analysis

1. Role of NSOs in Analysis John Cornish

2. Analysis underpins effectiveNSO operations • Analysis is broad in extent, and it supports all phases of the production of statistics • It is needed to • turn data into reliable & useful information & • improve communication with users

3. Forms of Analysis done by NSOs • Quality assessment and validation • Descriptive analyses & presentation • commentary, tables & graphs • ‘routine’ adjustments • seasonal adjustment • standardisation eg age/sex adjusted death rates

4. Forms of analyses (Cont’d) • Summarising to simplify eg Socio-economic index • Measures of transitions and longitudinal analysis • Creation of new statistical outputs (eg small area statistics) • User-oriented analyses - focus on shedding light on possible links between outcomes and explanatory factors for specific public policy issues

5. NSOs vs others doing analysis • Not a black or white issue, and the balance will vary across countries and over time • Some analyses can be done only by NSO because of confidentiality issues • However, capability (skills and knowledge) will limit extent of analysis done by NSO • As will the need for timeliness and objectivity • And , users will want to go beyond ‘describing’ to ‘explaining’ NB If data held by NSO is not analysed (either by NSO or researchers), then get duplication of data collection

6. Supporting users to do analysis • NSOs should support while ensuring they maintain trust & confidence of respondents • NSOs need to develop a range of methods for providing user access to data

7. Ways of supporting users doing analysis • Detailed data - discussed in next section • Good documentation and metadata • Partnerships • Staff who understand researcher needs • Involvement with professional organisations (eg population associations, economists)

8. What is needed to improve analytical capacity of an NSO? • staff with the right skills • staff with sufficient knowledge of a subject area to provide a context for analysis • databases and software • organisational arrangements

9. Good practices • Ensure relevance & objectivity • Be open about methods • Consistency with data collection & use standards • Metadata is very important - for NSO & users • Peer reviews for ‘sensitive’ areas • Special consideration when designing surveys & outputs • Learn from partnerships, inpostings, fellowships, etc

10. Some pitfalls • Analysis which is not public policy relevant • Lack of Objectivity – topic selection, methods used, not analysing all sides, presentation • Commenting on or advocating policy • Not understanding quality limitations of data • Not understanding confidentiality risks • Reporting findings which are not statistically significant nor meaningful • Taking too long & delaying release of data • Forecasting - stick to projections

11. In summary, NSOs role • undertake analysis which quality assures & explains the data • avoid subjective analysis and interpretation, and • help others

12. Organising for analysis • Statistics Norway - basically all public sector analysis is centralised into a unit within the organisation • Establish subject areas separate from collection areas • ABS Analysis Branch (within the Methodology Division) • SNZ Analytical Support Branch (within Methodology Division) • Consultancy services for other departments