Transcript United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division SDDS and Dissemination of Statistical Information to a Broader Range of Users SIAP-UNECE Training Course on New Challenges.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Statistical Division
SDDS and Dissemination of
Statistical Information to a Broader
Range of Users
SIAP-UNECE Training Course on New
Challenges of Economic Statistics for
Central Asian countries
Tehran, Iran 19 October 2008
Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE
GDDS and SDDS
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General Data Dissemination System
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Basic Basic information on economic,
financial and socio-demographic data
• With a standardized content
• Provided with regular intervals
• Service and follow-up provided by IMF
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Special Data Dissemination System
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Same story – but more detailed and
demanding
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 2
Custodian Organization:
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
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The IMF monitors the
world’s economies,
lends to members states
in economic difficulty
and provides technical
assistance
The GDDS assists dataproducing agencies to
take control of statistical
development programs
in a structured manner
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 3
Why SDDS?
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Starting from 1996
The SDDS was established by the IMF to
guide members that have, or that might seek,
access to international capital markets in the
provision of their economic and financial data
to the public;
Both the GDDS and the SDDS are expected to
support the availability of timely and
comprehensive statistics and therefore
contribute to the pursuit of sound
macroeconomic policies.
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 4
Main Dimensions of SDDS
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The data: coverage, periodicity, and
timeliness;
Access by the public;
Integrity of the disseminated data; and
Quality of the disseminated data.
All are important components when we think of
dissemination of statistical information
Metadata…User relations…
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 5
Main content of SDDS
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Development in the Real Sector
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Development in the Fiscal Sector
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12 components
Development in the External Sector
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12 components
Development in the Financial Sector
•
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10 components
26 components
Population
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 6
CIS-Countries, whose Statistical
System have subscribed to SDDS
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Armenia
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyz Republic
Russian Federation
Ukraine
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 7
Main idea – Reporting to an
International Organization??
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Well, yes and no
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Strict regularity
• Clear periodicity
• Stable content
• Metadata along
 reliability
 reliability
 clearness, methodological
soundness
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Control and alarming by IMF, if troubles
 improving the service
ability of the NSO
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 8
Support (1)
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Training by and in IMF
Support for the construction of web sites
for economic statistics by IMF
User satisfaction surveys on a semiregular basis
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ROSC
• Fairly small sample size
• But important user groups
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 9
Support (2)
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Strict follow-up and monitoring by the
IMF Headquarters
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Implementation of disciplined dissemination
practices, necessary for development of

Trust and reliability
 Good service ability
 Independence of the NSO
 Link to the UN Fundamental Principles of Official
Statistics, where UN and UNECE are custodian
organizations
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 10
What is a Good Service Ability?
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Different target groups will need different kinds
of ready made information
Some target groups will need mainly
customized information
Analytic materials, Good visual presentations
What are the main target groups for Economic
Statistics?
What are the main media of communication?
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 11
What is a Good Service Ability?
(2)
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The need of a Broad Dissemination Strategy
Timely economic statistics – A great possibility of
Contact Building for the National Statistical Agency!
But in close and clear relation to all this
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There is a need to have resources to do produce timely
economic statistics
The biggest gap: Timely Short-Term Economic Statistics
Evidence-based decision making needs to have a good
understanding of the economic development
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In general
Different industries
Different regions
 Internationally
 In relation to export and import
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 12
A Problem
- as posed in a Pretoria Expert Group Seminar in 2003
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“Statisticians like to
talk to one another in
mysterious ways and
with a time clock
which runs 10 times
slower than everyone
else's”
 We have to
communicate better!
 We have to imagine
ourselves into the
position of the potential
users of our information!
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 13
Four important groups
to provide services to
Decision makers in big enterprises and
industries…
2.
The people making decisions, related to
economic development in the government
3.
The media
4.
The general public, NGOs, politicians
They are connected
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Politicians need votes from the public
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Governments are / should be accountable
1.
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Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 14
Often Encountered Public
Perceptions of important things
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Health care
Schools
Medicines
Roads
Water
Crime prevention
Statistics????
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 15
Publicity may sometimes be tough!
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Statistics often tends
to attract hostile
media coverage…
“Why does it take so
long?”
“My own perception
is different!”
“Lies, Big lies,
Statistics!”
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But what is the alternative
Any votes for the Census?
to providing better publicity?
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 16
Strategies for the future (1)
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Take publicity seriously
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Make a good plan of what will be published
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Publication calendar
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Regular Media/Press releases
• Press Officer
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Press Conferences from time to time
…but not too often!
Also critical media to always be invited!
Cost plan and budget for publicity activities
Follow up on media appearance – both quantities
and attitudes
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 17
Strategies for the future (2)
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The importance of good statistical information
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How can resources be allocated if basic information
on the economic development is based on guesses
and (too) old information?
Attracting investments, doing good business,
developing economic activities needs good
infrastructure – reliable official statistics is basic
If the denominators of Gross Domestic Product,
Millennium Development Goals are wrong, no
information is reliableMonitoring donor activities
needs good basic background information
Monitoring donor activities needs good basic
background information
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 18
The media is your partner
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In disseminating the
main results of all
your work on
statistics
In making
problematic issues
known
Help the media to be
well informed!
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 19
The importance of good
contact information
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User lists
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Existing customers and
contacts
Regular and heavy sers
of economical statistics
Contact directories
Feedback contacts
 Contact / Customer
database
 Customer
Relationship
Management (CRM)
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 20
You will profit much
from active feedback
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Having more feedback
will help you to develop
your services
Interaction with critical
customers will help you
in having a positive
pressure on
performing better
A demanding customer
is like a grain of sand
within the mussel. It
doesn’t feel good but the
result may be a beautiful
pearl!
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 21
The efforts you will make will
be rewarded, because…
 Only used
statistical
information is
useful statistical
information!
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Thank you
for your attention!
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[email protected]
Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 22