Types of use by different user categories Part 1

Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.

Types of use by different usercategories Part 1

Uses and users of statistics

Produced in Collaboration between World Bank Institute and the Development Data Group (DECDG)


Categories of users

• There is a great variety of users of official statistics, all with special needs

• Users include:• Governments (central, regional and local)• International and supra-national organizations • Research institutions, analysts and researchers• Journalists and the media• Businesses• Educational institutions• The general public

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Types of use

• There are many ways of categorizing types of use of official statistics

• Broadly speaking six types of use may be distinguished: • Use for decision making• Use for policy development• Use for monitoring and evaluation• Use for planning• Use as background information• Use for education and research

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Use by governments

• Two kinds of government needs may be distinguished:• Need for regular observation of phenomena• Need for ad hoc measurement

• Needs cannot always be addressed by existing statistics• NSOs must have some capacity for flexible response• Phenomena cannot always easily be measured in statistical terms• Close contacts between NSOs and senior government

representative are important

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Ministry of Finance

• Production of own statistics:

• Government Finance Statistics, on:

- Public sector: General Government and Public Corporations

- Net Borrowing or Lending: deficits /surpluses and debts.

• Main interests are:

• General economic information,

• Imbalances influencing labor market, interest rates, tax collection etc.

• Mostly short-term statistics about behavior of demand aggregates: unemployment, consumer behavior, investments, international trade

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Sector or Line - Ministries

• Have statistical interests specific for their sector, including:

• Development of number of enterprises and their production• Employment in the sector• Turnover and profitability• Innovation• In many cases: environmental impacts• A great many specific features relevant for the sector

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Other Line - Ministries

• Ministry of labor needs a broad range of statistics about the labor market

• Service ministries (health, education, crime and justice) want many details about developments in their sector

• Administrative data give some indications of outcomes of policies

• Statistical surveys may produce additional information about outcomes

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Regional government

• Regional governments want small area data similar to those compiled at the national level

• For the NSO this would in principle imply using larger samples• However, this will not necessarily be funded

• Other solutions exist:• Core data from NSO are supplemented by data collection by

regional statistical offices• Statistics are supplemented by administrative data

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Business

• All business users share similar interests in quantitative information:

• Statistics that allow for comparisons with competitors: turnover, cost structure, innovation, prices etc.

• Statistics about factors determining future business: e.g. demography, labor market and income development, international trade, exchange and interest rates

• Businesses want many of these data at a low level of geography

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Large business

• Large businesses have a broad interest in statistics

• Many will be active nationally and internationally and are therefore interested in national and international statistics

• The NSO should facilitate access to international statistics

• NSOs in some countries have set up special units to cater for big business, also to secure response in surveys

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Small business

• Satisfying the needs of small businesses is a challenge

• Specifications of questions tend to be very detailed and specific

• Small businesses are very important for the economy

• They are best helped by special means of dissemination and consultants

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Use by the public

• Statistics are just one source of information

• The public may be skeptical

• Public interest and confidence is influenced by three factors: - Quality of the media- Interaction between the NSO and the media- Statistical literacy of the population

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Mass media

• Close relationship between NSO and the media is important

• Statistics must be perceived as ‘news’

• Different types of statistics are published by different media

• Some statistics are routinely published by general interest media

• Exposure in the media can be stimulated by the NSO

• Exposure is vital for public interest and reputation of the NSO

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Types of use by different user categories Part 1

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