With an application to Vietnam
Dr Nghiem Thi Van
Department of Integrated Statistics
General Statistics Office of Vietnam
Main contents
1. Introduction
2. Concept, types, advantages and
disadvantages of administrative sources
3. Situations of using administrative sources
for statistical purposes in some developed
countries
4. The application in Vietnam
5. References
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1. Introduction
 The importance of using administrative sources for
statistical purposes.
 To diversify the ways of data collection
 To generate statistics with regards to good quality,
timeliness, lowered costs and less burden for
interviewees.
 Literature review
 Hoffman (1995): using administrative is inevitable
 Brackstone (2007): the types of administrative sources, a
way to supplement the surveys.
 Penneck (2007): the use of administrative sources for
statistical purposes in United Kingdom.
 UNECE: the statistical system based on administrative
registers in the Nordic countries.
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2. Concepts
 Administrative sources: collections of data held by
government agencies having functions to collect and
use for purposes of administering taxes, benefits or
services.
 Brackstone (1987): 4 distinguishing characteristics
Agent that supplies the data to the statistical office
and unit to which data related are different.
2) Data were originally collected for a definite nonstatistical purpose
3) Complete coverage of target population is the aim
4) Control of methods.
1)
 General concept: administrative sources contain
information initially not for purpose of data collection.
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2. Types (Cont.)
 Tax data: Personal Income Tax, Value Added Tax,
Business/profit tax, Property Tax, Import/Export Taxes;
 Social security data: Contributions, Benefits, and Pensions;
Health and educational records; Registration systems for
persons, businesses, property, vehicles; Identity
cards/passports/driving licenses;
 Electoral registers, Register of farms, Local council
registers, Building permits, Licensing systems such as cable
television, Sale of restricted goods, Published business
accounts, Internal accounting data; Private businesses with
data holdings like credit agencies, business analysts,
telephone directories, and retailers with store cards.
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2. Advantages (Cont.)
 Cost savings
 Reducing the burden of providing feedback
information
 High frequency without increasing the burden of
providing feedback information to lower costs
incurred
 Timeliness
 Image of statistical agencies to public community
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2. Disadvantages (Cont.)
 Differences in definitions between administrative and
statistical agencies
 Differences in classification and period
 Lack of confidence of statistician who does not collect
data directly.
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3. Using administrative sources
in some developed countries
England
• Linked data source between the National Statistics Office (ONS)
and the Department of Employment Research and Retirement
• The Work and Pensions Longitunal Study (WPLS) combines
benefits and program information held by the Department of
Employment and Pensions on its own customers, with the
records of employment from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs
(HMRC)
• The Neighbourhood Statistics website
http://www.neighborhood
• The Inter-Department of Business Registration (IDBR)
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3. (Cont.)
The Nordic Countries
 Begun to use the administrative register in the field of
population, housing and business registration since the
1970s.
 Administrative records in census is the last step of the
process of producing data.
 The system of uniform personal code is used for almost
administrative registers
 A uniform code system for business register, address
register, housing and shelter
 Statistical Offices deal with administrative agencies over
access of administrative records.
 The register-based business uses for statistical purposes
such as residence, housing, business and business register
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4. Application to the case of Vietnam
 2 ways of data collection in Vietnam: Statistical Report
and Statistical Surveys
 Statistical reports: ministries/government agencies;
provincial statistical offices; corporations; state-own
enterprised with own-accounted, administrative
agencies, FDI companies.
 Statistical Surveys: Monthly-survey:
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Quarterly-surveys:
4
Yearly-surveys :
11
2-years-period surveys: 5
5-year-period surveys : 5
10-years-period surveys: 2
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Administrative Sources
State Agencies
Tax data including personal income tax,
value added tax, business tax, property tax,
taxes, export, import
General Taxation Office and General
Customs Office
Data on social security: insurance premiums,
health insurance, retirement
Vietnam Social Insurance
The record of health, education
Ministry of Health and Ministry of
Education and Training
Business Registration System
Provincial Planning and Investment Office,
Ministry of Planning and Investment
The type of data on identification cards,
passports, driver's licenses, vehicle
Ministry of Security
Building Permit Construction
Provincial Construction Office, Ministry of
Construction
Registration farm
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development
Business-registerd Accounts and corporate
finance
Ministry of Finance
Equity ownership of the business, such as
credit representatives, business analysts,
telephone directories, retailers
Ministry of Finance
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4. Application (Cont.)
 Split Population Approach
Population
Estimation
Administrative
Sources
Census,
Surveys
Official statistics
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4. Application (Cont.)
 Split Data Approach: administrative sources are used
to provide information for some variables of
population
 Pre-filled questionnaire: Questionnaire are pre-filled
using administrative sources and checked when
conducting surveys.
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4. Application (Cont.)
Situation in Vietnam:
 The lack of a common identification number system
between government agencies in Vietnam.
 GSO can use administrative sources at a small scope
for trial at first.
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5. References
 Brackstone, G. J. (1987) “Issues in the use of administrative
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records for statistical purposes” Survey Methodology, Vol. 13(1),
pp. 29-43 – Statistics Canada,
Hoffmann, E. (1995) “We must use administrative data for
official statistics – but how should we use them?” Statistical
Journal of the United Nations ECE 12 (1995) 41-48,
Penneck, S. (2007) “Using administrative data for statistical
purposes” papers presented at the ICES-III, June 18-21, 2007,
United Nations (2011) “Using administrative and secondary
sources for official statistics: A Handbook of principles and
practices”,
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (2007)
“Registered-based statistics in the Nordic countries – Review of
best practices with focus on population and social statistics”.
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