Transcript Use of administrative data in statistics - challenges and opportunities ICES III End Panel Discussion Montreal, June 2007 Heli Jeskanen-Sundström Statistics Finland.

Use of administrative data in
statistics - challenges and
opportunities
ICES III End Panel Discussion
Montreal, June 2007
Heli Jeskanen-Sundström
Statistics Finland
Outline
About the use of administrative data at Statistics Finland in
general
 Preconditions
 Use of administrative data in business statistics
 Strengths and weaknesses
 Benefits to users of statistics
 Some concluding remarks

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About the use of administrative data at Statistics
Finland
Long experience, since the 1970 population census
 first in social and demographic statistics, nowadays more
and more also in business and environmental statistics
 Statistics Finland is a ”heavy user”: about 96% of input data
comes from administrative sources (as measured in
number of statistical units times number of variables)
 Typically there is some direct data collection on every
business statistics (mainly from large enterprises)
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Ways of utilising administrative data


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Direct use of register data
Register estimation
Combined use of survey and register data
 additional information from registers
 use as sampling frame
 non-response control
 imputation
 determining the structure of non-response
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Preconditions
Universal ID-schemes
-Persons
-Organisations
-Buildings, apartments
WIDE use
Acceptance by the people,
business and administration
Strict confidentiality in statistics
Up-to-date legislation
- statistical law
- personal information protection
Well developed
IT infrastructure
in administration
Possibility
to use in
statistics,
also
to
COMBINE
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Examples of totally register-based statistics in
Statistics Finland
Population statistics
 Population censuses
 Building and dwelling statistics
 Statistics on housing conditions
 Regional employment statistics
 Statistics about justice and crime
 Election statistics
 Income statistics
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Examples of statistics in which register data are
used as combined to survey data
Income distribution statistics
 Household budget survey
 Labour force statistics
 Wage and salary statistics
 Business statistics
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Use of tax data in business statistics

VAT value added tax declarations data (monthly) -->
turnover (STS)
---> estimates of turnover class (Business register)

Employers wage payment data (monthly)
--> wages and salaries (STS)
--> estimates of number of employees
(Business register)
Company tax (yearly accounts)
--> turnover etc. (SBS, Business register)
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Employers declaration on wages and salaries paid
for each employee (yearly)
--> estimates of man-years (Business register)
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Customer register of Tax authorities --> names, addresses, ... (Business reg.)
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Individual tax forms --> income, expenditure, assets, … (agricultural enterprises)
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Direct collection vs. use of administrative data
from tax authorities in main business statistics
Structural Business Statistics
Business Register
Short Term Business Statistics
turnover
wages and salaries
Number of enterprises
Direct collection Administrative
data
8 000
180 000
25 000
over 500 000
2 000
93
250 000
110 000
Even for enterprises in direct collection some data are taken from administrative sources
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Strengths of register-based statistics production
Total coverage for lower costs
 Possibility to link with other data sources (common
identifiers) and to produce new type of data
 Quality of data: heavy sanctions for enterprises if data are
not delivered or if false data are delivered to tax authorities
 No additional burden to respondents
 Confidentiality advantages
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Weaknesses of register-based statistics production
Only variables covered by registers are available
 Some restrictions on definitions of units and variables
 Vulnerable to changes in legislation and administrative
practices
 Dependence on data suppliers
 Timeliness of administrative data is not always good
enough
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Benefits to users of statistics
Register-based databases are the goldmines of empirical
research, e.g. sociological, health and economic analysis
 Possibility to create longitudinal data files (like data file of
living conditions and causes of death 1970-2003 and
FLEED, Finnish Longitudinal Employer-Employee Data)
 New kinds of statistics (e.g. flow statistics on the rise of
social status or change of labour market status)
 Easier to produce regional statistics, small area statistics
and GIS
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New services to researchers
Statistics Finland’s research laboratory
 Mostly business statistics data and combined employeeenterprise data
 Micro-level dynamics of productivity growth
 Firm demography, employment patterns
 FLEED data file: Finnish Longitudinal EmployerEmployee Data
 Financial statements panel, R & D panel, ICT panel,
Industrial statistics panel
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Some concluding remarks
The use of administrative data decreases costs of the NSI
especially with regard to data collection
 Quality assurance and quality control systems have to be
developed, they differ from survey based statistics
 In business statistics, surveyed data play a big role in
quality checking of administrative data
 Co-ordination of inward data flows is extremely important
 Extensive and continuous co-operation with the authorities
takes also time and resources
 Net benefits? All win: lower response burden, somewhat
lower costs of the NSI but extremely rich and useful data
files
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Thank you for your kind attention

Use of Registers and Administrative Data Sources for
Statistical Purposes
Best Practices of Statistics Finland
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Can be downloaded in pdf-format in address
http://tilastokeskus.fi/censusbyregisters
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A joint Nordic publication “Register-based statistics in the
Nordic countries - Review of best practices with focus on
population and social statistics” (will be published by the
UNECE this year)
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