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Accepted Paper:
The role of the modern national statistics office
Alia Aghajanian
(Independent)
In this paper, I explore how the traditional role of the statistics office as a producer of official statistics needs to be reimagined as a mediator and regulator of different data producers - including those within the private sector, academia and international organisations.
Paper long abstract:
We are living in a new age where there is a wealth of data and information that can be overwhelming to a lay person, but also confusing and sometimes contradictory to data users. Traditionally the national statistical office has been the main producer of data and statistics, providing the most accurate and official estimates of poverty, employment and demographics, among other areas. In this paper I provide examples of what non-traditional data producers have to offer - from satellite imagery, administrative or registration databases, internet price scraping and mobile location data. I also discuss the challenges that come from the availability of these data sources, including the lack of controls on data quality and analysis, inconsistent results, and disempowerment of the national statistics office. I then suggest some ideas for developing a regulatory role for the statistics office that will provide data users with assurance to the quality and consistency of data and statistics.