International Standards for Compilation of Statistics:

The Gap between Standards Adoption and Standards Implementation

Katherine K. WallmanChief Statistician

U.S. Office of Management and BudgetExecutive Office of the President

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Motivations to adopt International Standards

• more efficient to use existing international standards

• shield statistical activities from political interference

• requirements to report data to international organizations

• framework for comparisons between countries

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Consequences of “a world without international

statistical standards”• no agreed framework for inter-country

comparisons• some countries less likely to produce data

at all, or likely to produce data of lower quality

• creation of international databases more difficult, if not impossible

• dissemination of internationally comparable data not possible

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Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts

• early framework published in 1947 at request of Statistical Commission

• 1993 SNA fourth revision

• 2001 effort to assess extent of implementation:– scope of the accounts– conceptual compliance– quality issues

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Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts

• Conceptual Compliance– set of questions to assess compliance with

major 1993 SNA concepts– 84/207 countries and territories had

implemented

• Scope of Implementation – minimum required data set (MDRS)– 47/191 UN Member States fulfilled the

MRDS benchmark; 78/191 compiled 6 or more tables

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Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts

• Quality Issues– IMF Data Quality Assessment Framework

(DQAF)– IMF disseminating DQAF reports of 72

countries as data modules on the Reports on the Observances of Standards and Codes (ROSCs)

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Case Studies: 1993 System of National Accounts

• Factors Impeding SNA Implementation– Staff resources– Training– Data Resources

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Case Studies: Standard Industrial Classification

• originally adopted in 1948 as standard classification of productive economic activities

• 3 objectives: – coordination of statistics published by

international agencies– inter-country comparability of information– organization and display of economic

statistics

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Case Studies: Standard Industrial Classification

• Barriers to Implementation of ISIC– insufficient relevance– lack of adequate financial and staff

resources– insufficient technical capabilities– lack of legal requirements

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Case Studies: Vital Statistics Systems

• Originally adopted by Statistical Commission in 1953

• Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Revision 2 adopted in 1999

• to assist countries in developing capacities to maintain systems of civil registration and vital statistics

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Case Studies: Vital Statistics Systems

• Reasons for lack of progress – under-enumeration of vital events– misreporting of information– changes in legal/administrative frameworks– problems with organization of the systems– lack of awareness or lack of incentives– lack of political support at the highest

levels

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Encouraging Implementation of International Statistical Standards

• Impediments to implementation– insufficient relevance– lack of authority to require implementation– lack of, or deficiencies in, legal frameworks– lack of available source data– insufficient budgetary and staff resources– lack of trained staff– insufficient guides and manuals – insufficient training programs

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Encouraging Implementation of International Statistical Standards

• Where do we go from here?– are all standards of equal importance? – decide the purpose of the proposed standard

and level of detail in advance?– consider relevance of the frameworks and

classifications?– determine proper level of detail in guidance

on implementation of standards?

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Encouraging Implementation of International Statistical Standards

• Where do we go from here? – improve efforts to help countries better

understand the changes?– assess coordination mechanisms for

implementing, maintaining and updating frameworks and classifications?

– review adequacy of staff and resources to assist with implementation?

– should ECOSOC require Member States to meet a minimum level of implementation?