Code of Practice for Official Statistics

Presented by Yasmin Cassimally with inputs from Aimee Cheung

STATISTICS MAURITIUS23 September 2013

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CONTENTS

Code of Practice for Official Statistics (CoP)• What?• Why?• How?• When?• Highlights• Uses and benefits

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WHAT IS A CoP?

A set of principles for

• developing,

• producing, and

• disseminating official statistics

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OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Statistics produced by

• Statistics Mauritius

• Bank of Mauritius

• Ministry of Health

• Others as approved by Statistics Board

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WHY A CoP?

• Improve quality, relevance and credibility

of official stats

•Ensure that they are produced, managed

and disseminated to high standards and

are well explained

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CONTEXT

“The Director of Statistics shall…… with the approval of the Board, publish a CoP for Official Statistics which shall be based on the values of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the African Charter on Statistics, and any other internationally accepted principles relating to statistics”Statistics Act 2000 (Amended)

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HOW?

Benchmark and best practices

• UN Principles for official statistics

• UN Guidelines for a generic NQAF

• African Charter for Statistics

• IMF Data Quality Assessment Framework

• European Statistics Code of Practice

• UK Code of Practice

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HOW? (cont’d)

.

Developed by Statistics Mauritius

in consultation with

•Bank of Mauritius

•Financial Services Commission

•Ministry of Health

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WHEN?

Approved in May 2013 by

the Statistics Board

.

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CoP - OVERVIEW15 principles accounting for factors influencing the production of statistical information+ list of indicators of best practice

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CoP – OVERVIEW (cont’d)

Three main components

• Institutional and Organizational environment

• Statistical Processes

• Statistical Outputs

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INSTITUTIONAL & ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

.

Principles

1. Professional independence

2. Mandate for Data Collection

3. Adequacy of Resources

4. Quality Commitment

5. Statistical Confidentiality

6. Impartiality and objectivity

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1. Professional Independence Indicators

1) Independence from political & external interference specified in law

2) Head of the statistical authority not subject to the direction or control of any authority

3) Head has the sole responsibility for deciding on methods, standards and procedures, and content and timing of statistical releases

4) The statistical work programmes are published and periodic reports describe progress made

5) Statistical releases are issued separately from political/policy statements

6) Statistical authority may comment on statistical issues, including erroneous interpretations and misuses of statistics

OutcomeIncreased public trust and confidence in Official Statistics

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2. Mandate for data collection

Indicators1) The mandate of the statistical authority to collect information for the

production and dissemination of Official Statistics is specified in law

2) The statistical authority is allowed by law to have access and use administrative records for statistical purposes

3) The statistical authority may, by law, compel response to statistical inquiries

Outcome Authority of statistical agencies recognized and better statistical

reporting

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3. Adequacy of Resources

Indicators1)Resources are available to meet statistical needs

2)The scope, detail and cost of statistics produced and publicized are commensurate with needs

3)Procedures exist to assess and justify demands for new statistics against their cost

OutcomeUsers’ statistics needs in terms of quality, relevance and timeliness met

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4. Quality CommitmentIndicators1) Product quality is regularly monitored according to a National

Quality Assessment Framework2) Procedures are in place to monitor the quality of the collection,

processing and dissemination of statistics from all sources3) Procedures are in place to deal with quality considerations, including

tradeoffs within quality, and to guide planning for existing and emerging surveys

4) Quality assurance guidelines are documented and staff are trained in quality management

5) Regular review of key statistical outputs using external experts where appropriate

6) Users are informed about the quality of statistical outputs

OutcomeProfessionalism of statistical agencies recognized & credibility enhanced

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5. Statistical Confidentiality Indicators

1) Statistical confidentiality guaranteed in law2) Staff sign legal confidentiality commitments3) Penalties prescribed for any breaches of statistical confidentiality4) Instructions and guidelines are provided on the protection of statistical

confidentiality, and made public5) Physical provisions are in place to protect the security and integrity of

statistical databases, and made known to the public.6) Strict protocols for access to micro-data for research purposes7) Arrangements for confidentiality protection are sufficient to protect

privacy but not restrictive to limit practical utility of Official StatisticsOutcomeIncreased public confidence and better reporting to statistical censuses and surveys

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6. Impartiality and Objectivity Indicators1) Statistics compiled on an objective basis determined by statistical

considerations2) Statistical releases are objective and nonpartisan3) Statistical release dates are according to a pre-announced release

calendar – any privileged pre-release access is publicized 4) A protocol on release procedures is publicized5) Changes to methods or classifications are announced well in advance of

the release of the changed statistics.6) Errors found in published statistics are corrected at the earliest possible

date and publicized7) A revision policy for those outputs that are subject to scheduled revisions

is publishedOutcomeIntegrity and credibility of Official Statistics enhanced

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STATISTICAL PROCESSES

Principles

7. Sound Methodology

8. Appropriate Statistical Procedures

9. Non-excessive Burden on Respondents

10. Cost effectiveness

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7. Sound Methodology Indicators1) Methodological framework follows latest international standards and

good practices2) Procedures are in place to ensure that standard concepts, definitions

and classifications are consistently applied3) The business register and the frame for population surveys are

regularly evaluated and adjusted in order to ensure high quality4) Detailed concordance exists between national and international

classifications5) Staff attend relevant training courses, and interact with colleagues at

international level to learn from best practices and improve their expertise

6) Benchmarking with international best practices is regularly conducted to improve methodology & co-operation of international community sought

OutcomeTrust in Official Statistics and public value secured

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8. Appropriate Statistical Procedures Indicators

1) Appropriate tools in place to assess the quality of potential data sources

2) Questionnaires tested prior to the data collection

3) Survey designs, sample selections, and sample weights are regularly reviewed and documented

4) Field operations, data entry, and coding instructions manuals are made available; operations are monitored & revised as required

5) Appropriate editing and imputation computer systems are used, and regularly reviewed and documented

6) Revisions follow standard, well-established and transparent procedures

OutcomeTrust and confidence in Official Statistics enhanced

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9. Non–excessive Burden on Respondents

Indicators1) The range and detail of demands in statistics is limited to what is absolutely

necessary2) Use appropriate sampling techniques to reduce reporting burden 3) Information sought from businesses are readily available from their records

and electronic are used to facilitate its return4) Procedures in place to streamline and harmonize surveys to avoid duplication5) Administrative sources to be used whenever possible6) Data sharing within statistical authorities adopted to avoid multiplication of

surveys7) Procedures are in place to analyze costs of new data needs to data suppliers

against the potential benefits

OutcomeHarmonized and cost-effective data collection system in place, and cooperation of data providers enhanced

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10. Cost Effectiveness

Indicators1) Internal and independent external measures monitor statistical

authority’s use of resources2) Routine clerical operations are automated3) IT optimized for data collection, processing and dissemination4) Proactive efforts made to improve the statistical potentials of

administrative data to avoid duplicating and costly data collection5) Relationship between the statistical planning processes, work

programmes, allocation of resources, and outcomes assessed6) Procedures exist to monitor expenditure against work programmes

– assess need to check if they can be discontinued or curtailed

OutcomeMore cost effective statistics that respond to user needs

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STATISTICAL OUTPUTS

Principles

11. Relevance

12. Accuracy and Reliability

13. Timeliness and Punctuality

14. Coherence and Comparability

15. Accessibility and Clarity

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11. Relevance

Indicators1) Processes in place to monitor the relevance and practical utility of

existing statistics in meeting users’ needs.

2) Processes in place to consult users on their emerging needs and priorities.

3) Priority needs are met and reflected in work programmes

4) User satisfaction surveys undertaken periodically and results publicized

OutcomeBetter design and evaluation of public and private policies and programmes, and better development progress

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12. Accuracy and reliability

Indicators

1) Source data & statistical outputs are evaluated against

existing information

2) Sampling and non-sampling errors are measured and

documented

3) Studies and analyses of revisions are carried out routinely

and used internally to inform statistical processes

OutcomeConfidence and trust in Official Statistics strengthened

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13. Timeliness and Punctuality

Indicators1) Timeliness meets international standards2) A standard daily time is set for the release of statistics 3) Periodicity of Official Statistics takes into account user

requirements4) Inform users of any divergence from the expected time

schedule5) Release preliminary results of acceptable quality

OutcomeMore effective and timely policies, and better development programmes

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14. Coherence and comparability

Indicators1) Statistics are internally coherent and consistent

2) Statistics are coherent or reconcilable over a reasonable period of time

3) Statistics are compiled on the basis of common standards in different surveys and sources

4) Statistics from different sources are compared and reconciled

5) Comparability is ensured through use of international recommendations

OutcomeBetter understanding of social, economic and environmental phenomena

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15. Accessibility and ClarityIndicators1) Statistics are presented in a form that facilitates proper interpretation and

meaningful comparisons2) Dissemination services use modern ICT tools, and are free of charge if

possible3) Clear pricing policies are adopted and publicized4) Access to micro-data is allowed through an official micro-data data

dissemination policy5) Metadata are documented according to standardized metadata systems and

are publicized6) Users are kept informed of the methodology and procedures & quality of

statistical outputs w.r.t. official quality criteria

OutcomeImproved use of statistics, and better informed policy makers and population

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BENEFITS OF CoP Tool for quality management• Overarching framework that provides context for quality initiatives,

and single place to record quality concepts, policies and practices• Systematic mechanism for identification of quality problems and

possible actions• Greater transparency to all processes - quality assured and

credibility reinforced • A basis for creating and maintaining a quality culture within the

organization• Supports quality improvements and their maintenance over time

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WHAT NEXT?

Code of Practice for Official Statistics

• to be applied and respected by all producers

of Official Statistics

• assess compliance by an independent and

competent body at least once every 3 years

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For more

Check our website at

http://statsmauritius.gov.mu

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Thank you