Seminar on
Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks To Meet Global Challenges
Session 2: Innovative Frameworks for
Social/Household Statistics
Panel Discussion on Emerging Statistical
Frameworks
Presentation by
ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General
National Statistical Coordination Board, The Philippines
Organized by the United Nations Statistics Division
Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission
42nd
1
Conference Room 1 (TNLB)
18 February 2011
Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
Outline of the Presentation
I.
Introduction
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View from the
Philippines
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/Some
Answers/Some Challenges
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
I. Introduction
• Social statistics lagging behind economic statistics
• But social progress is just as important as economic
progress
• Therefore, there is an urgent need to move the agenda on
the development of social statistics forward
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
I. Introduction
• Actually, there are many past and present efforts to further
develop social statistics/measures of well-being
 UN/UNSD initiatives
Experts Group Meetings
Handbooks/International Recommendations/MNSDS
Global Fora ( 3rd Global Forum on Gender Statistics in
Manila)
City Groups ( Sienna Group, Washington Group on
Disability Statistics)
Friends Of the Chair
Inventories/Knowledge databases
 Initiatives by other international organizations
OECD (World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge &
Policy)/Istanbul Declaration, METAGORA)
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
I. Introduction
• Actually, there are many past and present efforts to develop
social statistics
 Regional initiatives
UNESCAP Advisory Group on Social Statistics
ASEAN Statistical Report on MDG Indicators
 National initiatives
Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
I. Introduction
• So, why has the development of social statistics not caught
up with that of economic statistics?
 We have not been able to develop a comprehensive
and widely-used framework for social statistics like the
SNA for economic statistics
 We have general agreement on the concept of
economic growth but not on social progress/genuine
progress of society?
Varying culture
Varying extent of social problems
Varying social concerns
Varying social priorities
o We may agree on health and even education
o But on governance, VAW, poverty, etc.?
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
I. Introduction
• And while the HDI was an attempt to combine economic
and social progress, it has not gained universal
acceptance ( partly because of the lack of wide and
proper consultation in its development )
• Other failed attempts? Sienna Group/MNSDS?
• A single unifying framework like the SNA not possible for
social statistics?
• But surely we can move forward! How?
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
• While global initiatives can continue, in developing
statistical frameworks on social statistics, we need an
approach that recognizes and appreciates
 differences
in
culture/social
problems
concerns/priorities among countries
 Varying levels of statistical development
 Resource constraints of developing countries
• Thus, a global framework may not work,
regional/subregional
approaches that build
homogeneity within the region/subregion, may work.
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
and
but
on
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
• And a national approach or a bottom-up approach
instead of a top-down approach might work best, might
be most practical and most practicable




Fosters national ownership
Enhances acceptability
Increases chances for national funding support
Although international comparability could be an issue
• Possibilities: Incorporate the framework on
wellbeing/social statistics in the country’s NSDS (PARIS21)
 Improved/Expanded MNSDS?
 National Social Indicators?
 National Development Indicators?
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
INNOVATIVE FRAMEWORKS FOR SOCIAL/HOUSEHOLD STATISTICS
IN THE PHILIPPINES AMIDST RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS
1.
Poverty Statistics
1.1 Small area estimates of poverty
GEOGRAPHICAL:
2000 city and municipal level poverty estimates
• NSCB initiative funded by the World Bank (WB)
• Used the Elbers, Lanjouw, and Lanjouw (ELL) SAE methodology
developed by the WB.
• Collaborated with consultants from the academe
• Merged data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES),
the Labor Force Survey (LFS), and the Census of Population and
Housing (CPH), which were all conducted in 2000.
• Produced the first set of SAE of poverty for the year 2000 at the city
and municipal levels
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
INNOVATIVE FRAMEWORKS FOR SOCIAL/HOUSEHOLD
STATISTICS IN THE PHILIPPINES
1.
Poverty Statistics
1.1 Small area estimates of poverty
GEOGRAPHICAL:
2003 intercensal city and municipal level poverty estimates
• Updated 2000 SAE poverty estimates at the city and municipal level
to 2003
• Developed an updating methodology in collaboration with
consultants from the academe
• Merged/Used Survey data for 2003, and census data for 2000
• Estimates have been used in the Conditional Cash Transfer program
– now the major poverty reduction program of government
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
1.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
Poverty Statistics
1.1 Small area estimates of poverty
SECTORAL:
Poverty statistics for the basic/marginalized sectors
•Funded by UNDP
•Merged data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) and
the Labor Force Survey (LFS)
•The NSCB generated 2006 poverty statistics for the ff. basic sectors:
i) Women
ii) Youth
iii) Children
iv) Senior citizens
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
v) Farmers
vi) Fishermen
vii) Workers in the formal sector
and migrant workers
viii) Poor population living
in urban areas
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
1.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
Poverty Statistics
1.2 Middle-income class
•Provided a definition of the Filipino middle-income class in two
ways: based on income cut-off using cluster analysis and based
on socio-economic characteristics, through regression analysis.
•Uses merged FIES and LFS data
•Generated estimates of the count of the middle-income class
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
2. Philippine Happiness Index (PHI)
•Pioneering effort of the NSCB started in 2007 on the development
of a methodology to estimate the Philippine Happiness Index
(PHI)
•Main feature of the PHI - It is not normative; the methodology
for the compilation of the PHI allows individuals to define/identify
their domains of happiness.
•Has conducted nonrandom surveys on various groups to
validate the conceptual and statistical framework including
among low-income families.
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
3. Good Governance Index ( at subnational level)
•In 2004, the NSCB developed a methodology for a provincial
level Good Governance Index (GGI) incorporating indicators on
economic, political and administrative governance.
•Goal is to produce GGI estimates before elections
•Methodology is very dependent on/constrained by availability
of data support
•Updated in 2007 and 2010, to include a municipal level GGI
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
3. Good Governance Index
•Now includes a Voters’ Index meant to assess whether voters are
voting for candidates who have achieved a high GGI
•To rank or not to rank – ranking creates media
interest/controversies, but academics are more concerned with
statistically significant differences
•“Results” show that election results are not in line with the GGI
•And we have received threatening letters from politicians
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
4. Hunger Index
•The NSCB developed a methodology for the construction of
hunger index and the establishment of benchmark information
on hunger, upon request of policymakers.
•Aims to provide an objective measure of the severity of hunger
in the population
•Can be used to compare regions/provinces and pinpoint areas
with severe hunger for purposes of identifying areas that require
priority attention for hunger mitigation programs and services.
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
5. Climate change
•Developed the Philippine Framework for the Development of
Environment Statistics (PFDES)
•Publication of the Compendium of Philippine Environment
Statistics
•Developed a Statistical Framework and Indicator System in
Measuring/Monitoring Climate Change Impacts – but has not
been populated with data
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
6.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
Gender Statistics
6.1 Measurement of the economic contribution of women
•NSCB efforts to quantify the contribution of women in the
economy, including unpaid work
•Goal is to develope a satellite account linked with the Philippine
System of National Accounts (PSNA)
•Using heroic assumptions from Time Use Surveys, generated the
following:
i) GDP/GNP by sex
ii) Adjusted GDP/GNP by sex, accounting for the value of
unpaid work
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
6.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
Gender Statistics
6.2 Survey-based data on violence against women
•For the first time, the 2008 National Demographic and Health
Survey (NDHS) included a separate module called the Women’s
Safety Module.
•Probes into women’s experiences of violence, particularly on
physical violence and sexual violence.
•Likewise, information was collected on spousal violence covering all forms of VAW:
1) physical violence;
2) sexual violence;
3) emotional violence; and
4) economic violence
Note: The 3rd and 4th forms of VAW were grouped together in the survey as “other forms of
violence.
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
II.
A Developing Country Perspective: View
from the Philippines
7. Development Indexes for Children by Life Stages
•Funded by UNICEF
•Cognizant of the need for the country’s development agenda to
prioritize policies and programs geared towards the
development of children, the NSCB generated the following:
i) Child Development Index (CDI);
ii) Rights-based CDI to stress the critical role of the duty
bearers in the development of children; and
iii) CDI by life stages to capture the situation/challenges
in the development of children.
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
SOME PREMISES
• Official statisticians need to be relevant to all stakeholders
– statistics must be useful to society!
• Official statisticians should maintain a “state of
preparedness” (Statistics Canada) to immediately and
effectively respond to emerging needs/demands of
stakeholders!
• Official statisticians need capacity building in the
measurement of these emerging concerns
• National statistical systems lack/suffer from dwindling
resources
• Official statisticians are still in a dilemma on our role in the
measurement of well-being/happiness/governance, etc.
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
SOME PREMISES
• There is increasing interest by the international community
on the measurement of genuine progress of society
• Official statisticians have strong competition in the delivery
of statistical products and services
 Google (CPI)
 Private sector information brokers
 Research institutions
 Even international organizations
• National statistical systems have the comparative
advantage in institutionalizing and producing consistent
time series of data points not only at the national but also
at subnational levels versus the adhoc initiatives of
competitors
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
• Some Questions:
 Should official statisticians actively engage in the
measurement of emerging “concerns” such as wellbeing/happiness/democratic governance/ women’s
contribution to the economy? Is it our mandate?
 Should the UN Statistical Commission provide more
specific policy guidance on the involvement of
national statistical systems in these emerging areas of
concern?
 Should the UN Statistics Division and other international
bodies allocate more resources for methodological
development, expert group meetings, creation of
knowledge base, conduct of global fora, and
capacity building in these emerging areas of
concern?
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
SOME CHALLENGES TO DATA PRODUCERS/OFFICIAL STATISTICIANS:
Challenge 1: Identification/Prioritization and
Institutionalization of the innovative/emerging statistical
framework to ensure sustainability of efforts and maximize return
on investments in statistics
Challenge 2: Choice of indicators – is there social
progress when a society has high economic growth, high life
expectancy but also high suicide rates?
Challenge 3: Improved Statistical Coordination within the
national statistical system to ensure that quality data support is
provided to the framework
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
SOME CHALLENGES TO DATA PRODUCERS/OFFICIAL STATISTICIANS:
Challenge 4: Effective Statistical Information Management
that will give life to the framework
• merging survey data files
• generating panel data
• linking survey and administrative records
(Everaers and Van der Laan)
• Providing greater and easier public access to
data
• Use of international standards (SDMX)
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
SOME CHALLENGES TO DATA PRODUCERS/OFFICIAL STATISTICIANS:
Challenge 5: Effective/Adaptive Dissemination and
Communication Strategies so that the framework will be
appreciated and used in decision-making
• Use of visualization techniques/Hans Rossling
• Laymanize statistical reports
• Produce metadata
• Development of effective communication plan
when introducing new/revising old statistical
frameworks to maintain trust and credibility
Challenge 6: Balancing supply and demand for statistics,
amidst resource constraints, while maintaining a “state of
preparedness”
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
SOME CHALLENGES TO DATA PRODUCERS/OFFICIAL STATISTICIANS:
Challenge 7: Creating demand for our products and
services
• Enhancing statistical literacy
• Statistical capacity building of users
• Managing user/stakeholder expectations
• Documenting actual policy uses
Challenge 8: Getting policymakers to invest in statistics
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
• Some Questions:
 Should official statisticians actively engage in the
measurement of emerging “concerns” such as wellbeing/happiness/democratic governance/ women’s
contribution to the economy? Is it our mandate?
 Should the UN Statistical Commission provide more
specific policy guidance on the involvement of
national statistical systems in these emerging areas of
concern?
 Should the UN Statistics Division and other international
bodies allocate more resources for methodological
development, expert group meetings, creation of
knowledge base, conduct of global fora, and
capacity building in these emerging areas of
concern?
29
Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
III. Some Premises/Some Questions/ Some
Answers/Some Challenges
• Some Answers:
 YES
 YES
 YES
TO ENHANCE OUR RELEVANCE, TO ENSURE OUR SURVIVAL!
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD
Thank you!
URL: http://www.nscb.gov.ph
e-mail: info@nscb.gov.ph
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Seminar on Shifting Paradigms: Innovative Statistical
Frameworks to Meet Global Challenges
RAVirola/18 February 2011
NATIONAL STATISTICAL COORDINATION BOARD