Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - Volume 14, issue 1

Authors: Mikkelsen, Lene

Article Type: Introduction

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14101

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1-2, 1997

Authors: Ryten, Jacob

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper is about the need to bridge the gap between mathematical statisticians on the one hand and government statisticians on the other. The paper takes as its starting point Martin B. Wilk's address to the Royal Statistical Society of Canada in which this gap is deplored and certain measures to bridge it are given as example of possible remedies. The paper argues that while there was always a need for the two communities to take advantage of each other's assets and nothing much has been done since the address some ten years ago, recent events and in particular the …degree to which some key economic indicators have been called into question by the general public have made this need increasingly more acute. The paper gives examples of such cases and reminds readers of measures taken by Statistics Canada to establish communication between the two kinds of statisticians and proceeds to argue that in addition to such measures at least two more ought to be explored. On the one hand, the International Statistical Institute is the natural venue for the two communities to gather for professional purposes and on the other internal formal training for the so-called “blue collar” statisticians is more necessary than ever. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14102

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 3-12, 1997

Authors: Outrata, Edvard

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The paper discusses the differences in the role of statistics in a communist and a democratic country. From these differences arise implications for the work and outlook of official statisticians in the two systems. A brief summary of the transition process, which has been overcoming these differences in the last six years in the Czech Republic, follows.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14103

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 13-21, 1997

Authors: Jensen, Poul

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Following an introduction which outlines the problems, Section 1 of the paper summarizes some Danish experiences relating to the reuse of statistics. Sections 2 and 3 provide an account of the various possibilities for enhancing the efficiency of historical and research-purpose reuse of information from official statistics. The conclusion of these considerations is that it will be possible to enhance the efficiency, if a collaboration among the parties involved is established, but it naturally follows that long-term investments are essential, requiring considerable consumption of resources, whose financing will pose a problem in many countries.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14104

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 23-30, 1997

Authors: Desrosières, Alain

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The originality of the profession of official statistician comes from its central position between administration and science. Being neither civil servant nor scientist, it combines the traits of both professions, in a different manner according to the eras and countries involved. Four dimensions are proposed to differentiate these modalities. They are linked to the structures of the State, and to the professional profiles of statisticians: centralization of the statistical institution, in both of its forms, administrative and territorial; the location of expertise in the State or outside it; level of skills; mobility and career paths for statisticians. During the 19th …century, the administrative dimension dominated. The mathematical tools were poorly developed and often rejected as happened for surveys. The statistical offices were small and not quite legitimate. The legitimacy increased when statisticians managed to associate their work to social or economic questions: public health and hygiene problems (1830–1860), regulation of paid work (1890–1920), macroeconomic Keynesian equilibrium, as of the 1930s. The establishment of the welfare state increased statistical needs and led to the introduction of survey methods. The “scientification” of the statistical profession came from both transformation of the State and from technical innovations. Four directions can be distinguished. The “representative censuses” are replaced by “sample surveys ”. The “statistical counting machines” are replaced by “computers ” in the 1950s, allowing the exploitation of administrative sources as complements to the surveys. National accounts , a reflection of the Keynesian macroeconomy, unifies economic statistics. Mathematical statistics leads to the development of econometrics and its modelling. One way to describe the different aspects of the profession, which correspond to its different tools, is to question the notions of reliability and of precision . These are not purely technical. They are linked to the social use of the statistics presented. The official statistician is confronted with three types of problems, syntax (formalism and internal coherence, the domain of the mathematician), semantical (interpretation, relation to non-statistical language), pragmatic (use of results for action, decision-making and critique). Each of these questions cannot be analyzed without the tension existing between the two dimensions of the statistical profession, those of administrator and scientist . Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14105

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 31-50, 1997

Authors: Garonna, Paolo | Sofia, Francesca

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The end of this century is characterised by a renewed interest in national questions. On the one hand, one sees the discovery of cultural heritage and the demand for recognition by numerous minorities. On the other, the internationalisation of economic processes leads to the questioning of traditional memberships and the emphasis on subjective elements in the choice of “nation”. With this scenario in mind, the authors set out to investigate the relationship between statistics and the processes of nation-building in European history. In fact, there is a correspondence in timing between the affirmation of the principle of nationality and the …diffusion of statistical science and practices in XIX century Europe. How can this correspondence be explained? Did statistics carry out an instrumental role or did it condition the development of “nationhood”? Two factors acted as an intermediary between statistics and the nationality principle: the beginnings of the modern notions of political economy and public opinion. Working on these two levels, statistics was called to define a coherent network for the different civil societies (The “nations”). Statistics showed that it could adjust to the social, cultural, and economic changes occurring within each community. For example, the development of labour statistics was instrumental to the extension of citizenship to the working class at the beginning of this century. In general, statistics carried out a highly relevant role of “monitoring” the needs expressed by the civil society, cooperating in the codification of the national identity drawn from science to knowledge, rather than myths, symbols and flags. Statistics, in short, was a formidable tool for “social cohesion” in the various nation States: the more prepared it was to lead to values of tolerance and sharing in the demands expressed by the civil society, the more effective it was. Naturally, within each national experience, the specific components necessary to insure the public relevance of statistics acted differently. For example, during the XIX century “political economy” was prevalent where there were deep economic transformations, such as in Great Britain during the industrial revolution. Conversely, the public administration became the focal point when the nation was understood as a product of history, rather than a natural fact, as in the French case. Finally, science seemed to prevail in those contexts, as in Germany and Belgium, where the scientific method was acclaimed for its autonomous, “constitutional” role. Statistics is called to work on these same elements today, continuing to make the fundamental contribution that it has rendered in the past, and responding to the new technological and institutional challenges of the future. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14106

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 51-70, 1997

Authors: Kenessey, Zoltan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Statisticians today are working mainly in three settings: in academia, in governments, and in the private sector. For historical and other reasons these three groups, on the whole, have inadequate interaction. Yet the intellectual and practical gains promised by a more integrated statistical profession can be significant. One element of the solution could be an increased emphasis on preparing review articles, presentations and conferences which could enlighten statisticians who toil in increasingly specialized and sub-specialized areas about the advances made and problems encountered in other areas. Another corollary would be the recognition of knowledge regarding ‘official statistics’ as part of …statistics as a scientific discipline broadly defined. This would involve an open and inclusive attitude on the part of academic statisticians and an increased sensitivity by ‘official statisticians’ to standards and customs of academic statistical publishing. The closer involvement of private sector statisticians in the activities of a more integrated profession is also quite important. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14107

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 71-79, 1997

Authors: Banovec, Tomaž

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Slovenia has a population of about 2 million inhabitants who live on a territory of 20 216 sq. km; the average height of the territory is a little above 520 metres, the average inclination of slopes is over 25% and only some people live and work on heights of above 500 m. In the new Business Register there are about 150 000 economics businesses registered and are thus also of statistical importance. All social and business life is being held in about 490 000 business and residential buildings. Slovenia's register oriented statistics has been set up during the last …20 years. At present the National Statistical Institution (hereinafter: NSI) coordinates and in part also implements two thirds of the 430 current statistical surveys. The NSI also indirectly coordinates the setting up and linking of emerging new administrative registers. Some of them are being managed by the NSI as a para-statistical activity. (Para-statistics is that activity which is imposed to the NSI due to its personnel, technical and other capabilities and is not directly determined by the source statistical legislation.) Bearing in mind the many years of work that were implemented, orientation facilitated that individual objects (a person, an enterprise or similar associations, buildings, etc.) are adequately identified and referenced in their adequate analytical places (geo-code, socio-code, business-code, etc.) and linked in relations (topology, etc.). Observed objects that are linked enable mutual transfers of interesting attributes and their analysis. Above all, data that are otherwise collected in various different administrative data bases receive multi-purpose use. Thus, Slovenia practically implements the Recommendations on setting up the Geographic Information Systems (hereinafter: GIS) for the needs of national statistics (that were accepted at the ECE/CES conference in June 1995 in Geneva. (Major importance is given here to geo-coding of every individual residential building or business building or respectively given house number and also to the universal use of this datum in other records, registers and censuses.)) Unfortunately Slovenia is still facing the task of rebuilding its regions according to the European system. With the declaration of independence and the new constitution Slovenia renounced the 65 old out-dated and large communities. New Europeanized communities were modelled while provinces still have not been determined. The national administrative authority does not unite all functions into one homogeneous unit, but is dispersed in different functional spheres and sites. This is why the Statistical Office is setting up an adequate base that would facilitate a rational and democratic determination of new regions according to the model and standards of the European Union. For such regions certain calculations should be made – with the assistance of data, that are linked and the methods that are harmonized with those of the European Union. This is particularly the case regarding the regional product or the regional account within the system of national accounts. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14108

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 81-88, 1997

Authors: Malaguerra, Carlo | Suarez de Miguel, Raul

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper describes some significant stages of the history of Swiss official statistics and focuses on some particular aspects and problems in developing national statistical activities within a multilingual and cross cultural federal State. It shows the need for concerted action and cooperation between the regional statistical services and the Federal Statistical Office. It stresses the importance of the approach of subsidiarity, the challenge of regional breakdown of statistical information and the need for harmonizing administrative registers at all levels of the federal system (municipalities, cantons and the Federal State). Finally, it suggests that the federalist model should be seen …as a network of communication, coordination and joint action: a model of integration which reconciles the particular nature of federal institutions with the inherent requirements for the development of a national statistical system. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14109

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 89-104, 1997

Authors: Holt, D. | Everett, G. | Church, J.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The lack of a regional tier of government in the UK has led to a multitude of different geographic entities being set up within the country, making compilation of UK statistics complex. This paper uses the example of labour market statistics to illustrate the issues and problems related to the plethora of geographies in the UK. Postcodes, although not a geography in the true sense, are used for much of the data supplied and collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Both a frozen and a current Central Postcode Directory (CPD) are in operation. A frozen geography allows …comparisons over time unaffected by boundary changes: the frozen CPD currently in use reflects ward boundaries in existence at the time of the 1991 Population Census. The ONS is developing a policy to give maximum flexibility for disseminating sub-national data, which would involve each series being held at the smallest feasible geography and being made available on both a current and a frozen basis. Linked with this is the development of a Standard Geographic Base which provides a model to enable any spatial unit to be described uniquely. The issue of standards will increasingly become more important than the technological constraints. Problems such as confidentiality and protecting against disclosure when using multiple geographies will become an ever more important issue. The more flexible the systems we build, the better we can meet user needs. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14110

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 105-119, 1997

Authors: MacDonald, Alphonse L.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Unlike developed countries which have a long tradition of preparing and publishing statistics, most developing countries started, after national independence, the collection and publication of official statistics, with varying degrees of coverage, quality and timeliness. As a result, statistical series for most developing countries are non-existent. Nevertheless, colonial authorities have produced a wealth of quantitative information on the conditions of their colonies with varying regularity. This information was needed to enable them to carry out their policies more effectively and efficiently. These data have in general been ignored by statisticians, and only a few historical series of colonial statistics …have been constructed and published. Yet the reports prepared by the colonial administrations contain quantitative information which could be used to construct series of colonial statistics on various subjects. In the paper, the experience in constructing the historical statistical series for Surinam is reported. Most of the experience refers to population and related data. The issues discussed are: 1. Availability of and access to data; 2. Origin, coverage, completeness and quality of the data; 3. Concepts, continuity and change caused by changing conditions in the country; and, 4. Use of international standards and classifications. Reconstruction of statistical series of information collected during the colonial period is a rewarding, but complex activity, which forces the statistician to acquire a thorough knowledge of the society and its political, administrative, cultural and social conditions. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14111

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 121-130, 1997

Article Type: News

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14112

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 131-134, 1997