Key National Indicators: Draft Guide and New GAO Study

Bernice SteinhardtDirector, Strategic Issues

U.S. Government Accountability Office

INTOSAI Working Group on Key National IndicatorsAstana, Kazakhstan April 7-8, 2010

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Background

• Working Group workplan assigned GAO with creating a glossary of KNI terms

• Collaborative effort of GAO and OECD

• Produced draft Guide to Terms and Concepts

• presented at 2009 Working Group meeting

• posted at www.intosai4kni.org

• Received and incorporated comments on draft

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Overview of Guide

• What is Measured?• Progress, well-being, sustainable development

• What Are Indicators?• Key national indicators, input/output/outcome indicators, composite

indicators• Dimensions and domains• Performance measures: reliability, validity

• What Are Indicator Systems?• Topical indicator systems, comprehensive key indicator systems,

selection of indicators

• What Is Data Quality?• Attributes of “Fitness for Use”• Validation and verification

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Changes to Draft Guide

• Added examples

• Clarified that draft guide refers to key national indicators rather than indicators alone

• Added section: What Role Can SAIs Play in the Development, Assessment and Use of Key National Indicator Systems?

• Assessment of reliability and relevance of data

• KNIs as basis for auditing government performance

• Caution against involvement in selection of indicators

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Next Steps

• Terms and Concepts being added to INTOSAI Glossary of Auditing Terms

• Add section on Principles, suggested by Rolf-Elm Larsen/Denmark NAO?

• Adopt as final?

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Recent KNI Developments in the U.S.

• Legislation signed by President on March 23 authorized creation of a key national indicator system for the U.S.

• System to be administered either by: (a) National Academy of Sciences, or (b) private nonprofit organization. Responsible for:

• Identifying and selecting issue areas, measures covered by KNIs

• Maintaining website with access to KNIs

• Developing quality assurance framework for selecting data

• National Academy to make recommendations to the Congress within the year.

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GAO Review of Key National Indicator Systems

• Legislation also directed GAO to study best practices for a KNI system, based on a review of experiences in other jurisdictions, including other nations.

• GAO study already begun at request of Chairman of Senate Subcommittee on Financial Management and Government Information

• Recognized that development of KNI system in the U.S. would help to set objectives, measure progress, assess conditions and trends, and communicate more effectively on complex issues.

• Would also help inform strategic planning, enhance performance and accountability reporting, and provide for more effective legislative activities.

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Key Objectives of GAO Study

• Examine the experiences of selected governments (state/local, other national) and supranational organizations in developing key, outcome-based indicator systems

• Identify how the experiences of selected governments in using indicator systems has influenced government planning and management and how they have measured progress toward key goals and outcomes

• Assess the implications of the selected governments' experiences for how a set of key national indicators might be used by the U.S. government

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GAO Study and KNI Working Group

• 2009 survey and report: International Experience in Development and Use of Key National Indicators

• Prepared by State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia

• Useful source of leads for GAO study

• Would welcome contacts in national governments, other information

• GAO study can be a further resource for Working Group