National Statistical System:
Coordination
United Nations Statistics Division
Workshop on Household Surveys and Measurement of
Labour Force with Focus on Informal Economy
Maseru, Lesotho, 14-18 April 2008
•Official statistics are broad in scope and
are produced by many different
government agencies
•In many countries there is a central or
national statistical office that produces the
greater share of official statistics,
• whereas in others countries there is more
than one statistical agency handling
different areas of statistics.
2
The National Statistical System
(NSS) …
• National Statistical Office (NSO)
•Central Bank
• line ministries (education, health,
labour, agric, etc.) and
•other agencies
3
Fundamental Principles of
Official Statistics
- Principle 8 “Coordination among statistical
agencies within countries is
essential to achieve consistency
and efficiency in the statistical
system.”
4
Coordination is essential to …
• promote consistent standards and methods
• promote comparable data in different fields
• avoid duplication of work
• create a single image and trust in statistics
• minimize respondents reporting burden
5
Coordination is essential to … (cont’d)
• facilitate the integration of data from
different sources
• represent country in international
initiatives.
• improve the design of data collection
instruments and introduce new
analytical products
6
Coordination is difficult, because …
• in general: No-one likes to be coordinated
• there are areas with a high degree of
specialization
• Statistics is compiled on admin. records
• Sharing information is prevented by law
7
Coordination is difficult, because … cont’d
• Nobody else than the NSO will feel
responsible for the coherence of the
statistical system as a whole
• Ideally, official statistics should be
perceived by users as a kind of brand that
guarantees integrity and quality & NSO
should set the example in this respect, but
credibility is dependent on institutions and
therefore difficult to spread to other
agencies
8
Who should lead the NSS?
• in a NSS, the NSO has important statistical
leadership responsibilities.
– the bulk of the statistical expertise exists in
the NSOs, and
– users seek cohesion across all statistics,
irrespective of the source.
• the NSO or some other coordinating agency will
need to take the lead in raising awareness of the
benefits of co-ordination of statistical activities.
9
Role of NSOs to facilitate a sound NSS
• Preparation and monitoring of statistical
programmes, in regular dialogue with
other producers (and users)
• Developing standard classifications and
making them available to other providers
of statistics together with appropriate
support resources
• Developing and promulgating statistical
frameworks, standards and definitions for
use by all providers of statistics30
10
Role of NSOs to facilitate a sound NSS
(cont’d)
•Disseminating manuals of good practice and
providing training programs to support them
•Developing agreed protocols for the National
Statistical System
• Developing meta data standards for
describing collections, particularly the quality
of statistics derived from these collections
• Developing directories of statistical sources.
11
Coordination tools …
• There should be some guidelines for
coordination activities within NSS
• Co-ordination requirements in some
countries are specified in statistics act.
• Active management of the NSS through
development of all professional statistical
staff and the sharing of software, data,
registers etc.
12
Coordination tools … (cont’d)
• Statistical registers and sampling
frames for surveys centralized for the
NSS:
– Either the NSO draws the sample for
other producers and advises them in design
and methodology of sample surveys; or
– All household and business samples
surveys for official statistics are carried out
by the NSO
13
Coordination tools …. (cont’d)
• Governance arrangements: Inter-agency
committee, National statistics council, etc.
• Standards have to be discussed with
other producers before they are made
binding
• Government-wide statistical budget
• Placement and exchange of staff
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Useful points for coordination
•Other producers should perceive the
coordination role of the NSO as providing value
added for them, and not as intrusion
•Clear assignments of responsibilities and
division of work in the statistical programme(s)
to avoid conflicts
•Fundamental Principles apply to all producers,
and it is the task of the NSO to advise and
monitor other producers in this matter
15
Review of the implementation of the
FPOS on coordination: Africa
In a survey by UNSD in 2003, the
coordination principle was reported to
be the most difficult to implement
(self-assessment by countries)
16
Are there any other producers of official
statistics other than the NSO in your
country?
• ≥ 90 % said YES
• However, the NSO is the dominant
producers of official statistics in most
countries
• Examples for other users:
– line ministries
– Sub-national offices producing statistics
for their regions
17
Forms of relationship between the NSO and
the other producers of official statistics:
- Other government entities produce statistics
based on questionnaires and methodology
supplied by the NSO;
- Other entities can collect statistics only
subject to permission from the NSO;
- Ministries produce data within their field of
work and submit it to the NSO
18
Are there organizational arrangements to
coordinate data collection for statistics at
the national level?
• ≥ 85% said YES
• Coordination is implemented through:
- National statistical legislation;
- annual or multi-annual plan for data
collection
19
Are there organizational arrangements
for setting statistical standards at the
national level?
• ≥ 80% said yes
• Arrangements were specified by:
- The statistical legislation which
specifies common standards.
- A central body, either the NSO or
another body cooperating with the NSO,
is assigned this responsibility by law.
20
Are there organizational arrangements for
setting statistical standards at the national
level?
- National Statistical boards/councils/
committees carry out coordination role
- Joint committees of the NSO and other
agencies are established for surveys in
specific subject matter fields
- Standards are set through consultations
with producers and users
- There is no formal organizational
arrangement
21
Profile of legislations on coordination in
SADC Countries
Angola
• 1996 Basic Law on NSS; Coordinator of NSS –
National Statistics Council
Botswana
• 1967 Statistical Act – focuses on NSO. No
specific mention of NSS
DR Congo
• Multi-annual work programme of 2005-2009
mentions coordination of statistical activities
22
Profile of legislations on coordination in
SADC Countries … cont’d
Lesotho
• Statistics Act of 2001 establishes Nat Stat Council, with one
of its functions being ensuring coordination between
producers and users
• NBS promotes coordination
• NSDS, which will ensure strong NSS, is being developed
Madagascar
• 1967 Statistical Act mentions development and
coordination of official statistics
• Decree of 1989 – created a Coordination Com. for stat
activities
Malawi
• 1967 Statistical Act –NSO coordinating role in the NSS
• NSS Development Plan underway
23
Profile of legislations on coordination in
SADC Countries … cont’d
Mauritius
• created stat units in gov’t ministries
• implementing NSDS to reform NSS
• NSO coordinator of NSS
Mozambique
• Presidential decree of 1996: NSO (INE) is
the central executive body of the NSS
• INE responsible for official statistics
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Profile of legislations on coordination in
SADC Countries … cont’d
Namibia
• NSO responsible for official stat
• NPC Stat advisory committee
South Africa
• - Statistics Act of 1999 specifies coordination between SSA
and other organs of State that produce official or other
statistics
Tanzania
• NBS only agency entrusted to provide official statistics to
the Government
• Statistics Ordinance of 1961 (Dec 2001) gives SSA
coordinating statistical activities in the country.
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SADC - Collaboration with other institutions
Nat’l institutions
Min of Labour
Min of Planning
Business chambers
Nat’l women’s
machinery
Research institutions
Academic institutions
Regularly Occasionally No
8
6
1
2
5
4
1
4
3
11
6
2
3
7
6
4
4
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International initiatives supporting NSS
Global Statistical System
• It is evolving
• Many of the elements that are important to
NSO are also important to int’l agencies
Reference Regional Strategic Framework
- Overall objective is to strengthen NSSs
National Strategy for Development of Statistics
- key contribution in the transition to evidencebased policy making by improving NSSs
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For discussion:
• How does your office coordinate?
• What works? Why?
• What does not work? Why?
28
Sources:
UNSD: Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics,
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/statorg/FP-English.htm
Heinrich Brüngger, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division,
“The National Statistical System: What does it mean in practice?” Contribution to the
Statistical Seminar in Skopje, 4 October 2006,
http://www.stat.gov.mk/seminar_CD/simpozium/Skopje_Simpozium_en.2006.ppt
Third meeting of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of the ECLAC, Santiago, Chile,
1-3 June 2005, LC/L.2318 (CEA 2005/8) 26 Apr 2005
Paris21 web page: http://www.paris21.org/pages/designing-nsds/presentation-events/
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