Session 3 Module B1
Session 3. The National Statistical System
Learning objectives
At the end of this session students will be able to:
● Explain what is statistics
● Explain what is the National Statistical System (NSS)
● Explain what is the composition of the NSS in their country
● Explain what is the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)
● Explain what are the essential components of a NSDS
Activity 1: What is statistics?
You can find many definitions of what statistics is, and as you progress through this course,
your own definition will be formed – although you should be aware that most of the
statistics topics covered by this course have to do with official statistics. Here are some
definitions for you. They were obtained from the website of the Royal Statistical Society in
the UK and from Wikipedia, the online free encyclopaedia. Read them and then answer the
question at the end of this activity by writing a two-paragraph explanation that could be
published in a national newspaper. This means that the language and style should be clear
and non-technical to be accessible and of interest for the general public.
The Royal Statistical Society (http://www.rss.org.uk/main.asp?page=2363#, accessed 8
June 2007)
What is statistics?
You may have listened to sports commentaries when the commentator says "and now
for some statistics". The word 'statistics' here refers to things such as how many times
these teams have played in the past, what the results were, details of how many goals
a particular player has scored and when, and so on. Sometimes, as in football and
basketball, the figures can be very detailed. This does NOT give a good idea of what
statistics is about. It sounds boring, and often is. Statistics is NOT just collecting a lot
of numbers - it is collecting numbers for a purpose.
Statistics changes numbers into information. Statistics is the art and science of
deciding what are the appropriate data to collect, deciding how to collect them
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efficiently and then using them to give information, answer questions, draw
inferences and make decisions.
Statistics uses samples to get insight into different populations.
Statistics is making decisions when there is uncertainty. We have to make decisions all
the time in everyday life and as part of our jobs. Statistics helps us make better
decisions.
For example statistical thinking is used in:
● measuring changes in the environment to assess effects of global warming
● measuring changes in population patterns to assess what type of housing is needed
and where
● analysing experiments on using fertilisers to maximise crop yield
● measuring the effectiveness of different medicines to find the best and to identify
side effects
● calculating how likely it is that two people have the same DNA profile.
Wikepedia: Statistics (Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics, accessed 15 June
2021), defines Statistics as:
“Statistics is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis,
interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, industrial,
or social problem, it is conventional to begin with a statistical population or
a statistical model to be studied. It is applicable to a wide variety of academic
disciplines, from the physical and social sciences to the humanities. Statistics are also
used for making informed decisions – and misused for other reasons – in all areas of
business and government.
Statistical methods can be used to summarize or describe a collection of data; this is
called descriptive statistics. In addition, patterns in the data may be modelled in a way
that accounts for randomness and uncertainty in the observations, and then used to
draw inferences about the process or population being studied; this is called
inferential statistics. Both descriptive and inferential statistics comprise applied
statistics. There is also a discipline called mathematical statistics, which is concerned
with the theoretical basis of the subject.
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The word statistics is also the plural of statistic (singular), which refers to the result of
applying a statistical algorithm to a set of data, as in economic statistics, crime
statistics, etc.”
Can you tell what the difference between Statistics as a discipline as “a statistic”?
Activity 2: The National Statistical System
In your country there is a National Statistical System (NSS) and at the centre of it is your
National Statistical Office. This session will help you forming an idea of the NSS, about the
institutions that may be part of the it and the main type of statistics that they produce. In
order to research your NSS, you have several options:
● Visit your NSO website to check what information they have about the NSS;
http://www.nsomalawi.mw/ (Accessed on 15 June, 2021)
● Analyse the NSDS of your country (that is, The Malawi National Statistical System
Stretegic Plan 2019 -2023) it will tell you something about how the process of
developing a NSS is progressing;
http://www.nsomalawi.mw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=228&
Itemid=9 (Accessed on 15 June, 2021)
● Talk to people involved in the development of the NSS – you, as a group, may be
able to invite a government functionary to come and talk to your class about the
NSS.
● Visit the Paris21 website ( NSDS documents & knowledge base1) and check what
information is available about the NSS of your country. You can also visit
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nsoprofiles/default.aspx?CountryId=93
In November 2004, Paris21 published a “Guide to Designing a National Strategy for the
Development of Statistics”. The document is included as a resource for this session in
English, French and Portuguese. In this activity you are required to read through
Chapter 4. After you have read the material, answer the following questions:
● What are the sources of the data produced by a NSS? NSO, government
Ministries, departments and public authorities////////censuses and
surveys, MDAs
● What is the basic concept of national statistics? The concept of National
Statistics is applicable when official statistics are produced and
1
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disseminated by more than one agency. The basic concept of
national statistics is to bring
together the most important indicators and data sets within a
coherent framework, which
provides users with some assurances about data quality and
integrity. It is a key principle behind
the GDDS, for example, where countries compile and publish
descriptions of methods and
procedures about data from different sources and where plans are
developed to improve data
coverage, quality and integrity.
What is the NSDS? An NSDS is a national strategy which enables developing
countries to build a reliable statistical system that produces the data
necessary to design, implement and monitor national development
policies and programmes.
● What are the advantages of having a broad NSDS process?
Dd]]
A broad NSDS process can promote greater coordination and
cooperation
in
statistics,
thus helping to reduce duplication of effort and increase efficiency as well as
address
cross-sectoral
demands;
xxxx It will help to bring the supply of statistics more in line with demand.
In
areas
such
as
PRS monitoring, for example, indicators are likely to be derived from more
than
one
agency. The same is true for the indicators used to monitor progress towards
the
MDGs.
By bringing these indicators within the scope of the NSDS, then specific plans
can be prepared for improving data coverage, frequency, timeliness and
other
measures
of
quality;
xasv Broadening the coverage to include the main data sets of interest to
users, bringing in other agencies (e.g., sectoral line ministries), will help to
build interest in statistics and should result in a larger constituency with an
interest
in
implementing
the
strategy;
Developing the level of interest in and support for the development of the
concept of National Statistics, and building on experience gained so far in
coordinating and improving the quality of National Statistics, for example
through participation in the GDDS
● What is the PRS? Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) and Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) describe a country's
macroeconomic, structural and social policies and programs to
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promote growth and reduce poverty, as well as associated external
financing needs and major sources of financing.
● What are MDGs as of 2015? But now what are SDGs? Visit
https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
● List five types of users of statistics…including:
policymakers and decision makers in government and quasigovernmental bodies; politicians at
all levels; researchers, analysts, and academicians; civil society
organisations such as NGOs;
private sector organisations; international and regional
organisations and the donor community;
and the media and the public at large.
● What is the role of the user of statistics in the development of statistics in a
country? have a major role to play in the development of national
statistics including
advancing a common understanding of policy issues and related
statistical requirements, setting
priorities for statistical production, clarifying the objectives for
statistical collections and
agreeing on the best methods for dissemination.
Activity 3: The NSDS
To complete this activity, you will need to read Chapter 2 and Chapter 10 of the Guide
to Designing a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics. Once you have
finished your reading answer the following questions:
● What is the vision of the National Statistics System of your country? To
provide coordinated, harmonized, relevant and timely official
statistics that describe the social, economic and environmental
development of Malawi and promote the use of official statistics for
evidence based decision making, policy formulation, education and
research, monitoring and evaluation, and for informing ...1 Jan 2017
● What are the opportunities provided by the preparation and implementation of a
NSDS? The preparation
and subsequent implementation of an NSDS provides the
opportunity for all stakeholders to
assess the current status of statistics, to review data needs, and to
develop a medium-term plan
that will address key constraints.
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● What international initiatives have provided the framework for strategic planning in
the National Statistical System?
Activity 4: The NSDS
Prepare a poster that illustrates what are the essential elements of a NSDS. When you
are working on your poster, bear in mind that a poster should catch the attention of
the passer-by, different from an essay or an article for a magazine, it should have
relatively few words and whatever is written on it should convey the key ideas that
you have in mind. You may want to include diagrams, pictures or illustrations. The
main content of this poster should be based on Chapter 10 of the Guide to
Designing a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics.
References
A Guide to Designing a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics.
Website: http://www.paris21.org/pages/designing-nsds/NSDS-documentsknowledge-base/index.asp?tab=KnowledgeBase&option=design
Accessed 2nd July 2007.
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