Transcript Presentation

Stretching the limits – Keeping
the principles
High Level Forum on Official Statistics
NY, 27 February 2012
Heli Jeskanen-Sundström
Director General
Structure
Short introduction
 Elements of statistical systems
 Is it our business?
 Where are the limits?
 About the future
 Some useful lessons learnt
 Final remarks

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A short introduction

As a background to this presentation I was thinking
three big challenges:
 Measuring problems relating to the globalisation
of economies
 Measuring sustainable development
 Measuring well-being
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Elements of statistical systems I
WHAT ?
 purpose of measurement, user needs
 HOW IN THEORY?
 Measurement framework (preferably supported by
scientific theory/evidence)

concepts, definitions, statistical units,
classifications, methodologies, assumptions,
counting rules
 Etc.

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Elements of statistical systems II

HOW IN PRACTICE?
 Rules and guidelines for practical implementation
Data sources, reporting units
 Technical tools and information systems
 Methodologies and assumptions (incl. use of
proxies, modelling techniques, imputing,
valuation and monetizing)
 Etc.

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Elements of statistical systems III

HOW DOES IT WORK?
 Evaluation of the chosen solutions
 Quality assurance framework
 Coherence vis-à-vis existing other systems
 Is the output meaningful
 Cost-effictiveness of the measurement system

Etc.
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Is it “our business”?
A wrong argument: “If we are not doing it, someone else
will do”
 User needs: “need to know” and “nice to know”
 Direct national and international decision making (e.g.
government programs, Member States’ contributions to
international organisations, follow-up of international
agreements)
 Monitoring important national and international
strategies and policies
 Other

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Is it “our business”?

Implications to the credibility of official statistics
 Are our measurement systems commonly/largely
acceptable? among users, data providers, other
stakeholders, among those who’s conditions we are
describing?
 Can we maintain the fundamental principles of official
statistics: impartiality, professionalism, scientific
principles and standards, transparency, statistical
confidentiality, relevance, reliability, quality
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Where are the limits?
Current conditions.....forecasting the future
 Material...........nonmaterial/immaterial
 Observable.............non-observable
 Objective conditions.....subjective opinions/feelings
 National..............transnational/global
 Statistics............research
 Public statistics.......only for administrative use

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About the future: what is unmeasurable today, might
be measurable tomorrow (and vice versa)
A lot of new data sources, new tools, new
research, new methods, new innovations will help
to remove the current limits
 Some promising new examples

European Statistical System’s work on MNE’s
 UNECE/OECD/Eurostat: impact of globalisation on
national accounts and related work
 UN work on measuring ecosystems and services
 OECD work on measuring subjective well-being

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Some useful lessons learnt
Better to eat an elephant one bite at a time
 More analytical work and prioritisation
 Broader co-operation and partnership
 Scientific community, multidisciplinary approach,.....
 The role and meaning of co-ordination is changing
 More experimental frameworks and statistics?
 certainly more piloting and testing needed
 The devil is in the details

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Final remarks
Statistical measuring is not only a technical issue, but a lot
more than that
 Everything which is measurable in technical terms, is not
necessarily “our business”
 After all, a statistical system is an international convention
of the statistical community based on justified needs. Our
way of describing the societies must be accepted by
ourselves and considered legitimate also by our
stakeholders

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