The Implications for Statistics of Administrative use and Needs

A major purpose of statistics is to give a transparent picture of important and relevant matters and to illustrate trends in the development of our societies. But often statistics also serve as a basis for the proper implementation and administration of political decisions. Numerous examples can be given of work done by statistical services that has a political purpose in the best sense of the word. Definitions, categorisations, nomenclatures and even methodologies at times have to be somewhat adjusted to meet the political requirements. In addition, there are other constraints on what statistical offices can do, deriving for instance from the protection of confidentiality or laws precluding the connecting of administrative registers.

These political and legal constraints on the work of statistical offices are to a large extent accepted by everybody. Nevertheless they must be seen in a wider context and weighed against other principles of utmost importance. How can the political influence on the statistical offices go together with the need for an appropriate protection of the intellectual honesty and the professional dignity of the services and their staff? Much work has already been done to encounter these concerns, including “The United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics”, but more has to come.

A modern and reliable statistical service should be independent from the government, scientifically competent, financially autonomous and be free to work with international organisations or other national statistical offices. The best way to give a genuine independent status to statistical offices is to transform them into institutions with the same constitutional status as the judiciary system and with the same protection against political and administrative abuse and pressure.