Transcript United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Modernising Statistical Production: Main recommendations from global assessments 7th SPECA PWG on Statistics 27-30 August 2012, Issyk-Kul,

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Statistical Division
Modernising Statistical Production:
Main recommendations from global assessments
7th SPECA PWG on Statistics
27-30 August 2012, Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
Challenges for official statistics
+ Increasing demand for internationally comparable, reliable and
timely statistics to monitor economic, monetary, social and
environmental policies
+ Development of information and communication technologies
- Economic and financial crises with additional budget constraints for
national administrations and official statistics
- Pressure to further reduce response burden
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⇒ Streamlining production of official statistics
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 2
What Does Streamlining Mean?
Streamlining can be defined as adapting the business processes in order
to produce and communicate statistical information that meets user’s
requirements in a more effective and efficient way.

Effective:
Adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or
expected result: an effective decision

Efficient:
Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least
waste of time and resources (technical, human and financial)
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 3
From Products to Processes
Global Assessment is a unique tool in building a statistical system that
meets user’s requirements in a more effective and efficient way.

Focuses not only on statistical products and services but also on the
means to achieve them (resource allocation and management)
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Evaluate to which extend processes ensure that products and services
are fit for their purpose and meet their specification (effectiveness)

Assess the operational coordination of the National Statistical
System and the organisation of the production process from the data
collection to the dissemination (efficiency)
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 4
International standards / nomenclatures / guidelines
Integrated
Production processes
SNA
Feedback
BoP - GFS
Sectoral statistics
SBS – CPI – ETS – LFS – HBS …
Statistical
registers
Data warehouse
Editing and processing (quality control)
Data collection
Efficient
Administrative data – Surveys – Censuses
Effective
Legal / institutional / organizational framework
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 5
Production Processes in SPECA Countries
Main recommendations from global assessments /1
Coordination of the National Statistical System:

The boundary of the National Statistical System (NSS) should be
clearly defined in the Law on State Statistics (LSS)
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The LSS should apply to all producers of official statistics
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The LSS should empower the National Statistical Office/Committee
(NSO) as the coordinator of the NSS
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Statistical Council should be revitalised and in some cases
established
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 6
Production Processes in SPECA Countries
Main recommendations from global assessments /2
Structure and resources:

Adequate human, financial and IT resources should be allocated to
the NSO and other producers of official statistics
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Territorial and functional organisation of the NSO could be
gradually simplified in the light of new ICT and data collection
techniques

Information and communication technologies (ICT) and
infrastructure should be further developed along with the
modernisation of business processes and the structure of the NSO

Horizontal organisational units dealing with quality, processes and
methodology should be established
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 7
Production Processes in SPECA Countries
Main recommendations from global assessments /3
Data collection, processing and registers (economic statistics):

To adopt gradually an integrated production model based on
common and standardised processes, transforming a combination of
primary data into statistical products

To extend collection of primary data from administrative sources
(when available and of good quality) and/or through sample surveys

Data processing, quality check, storage and compilation of national
and regional aggregates should be carried out centrally and
simultaneously

Developing and maintaining centrally a statistical business register
for all economic units, independently of their economic activities and
legal forms
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 8
Production Processes in SPECA Countries
Main recommendations from global assessments /4
Dissemination and communication:

Improving communication with users outside the government:
media, business, researchers, academia, civil society …
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Making statistics more attractive and interesting by complementing
tables with metadata, short comments, and visual presentations
(graphs, charts and maps)

Developing and maintaining a free, up-to-date, on-line dissemination
database that allows users to select, extract and generate tailor made
tables, charts and maps (PC-Axis)
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 9
Thank you for your attention.
UNECE Statistical Division
Slide 10