"The measurement and statistical issues“
Professor Denise Lievesley
Head of School of Social Science and Public Policy,
King’s College London and
Chair, European Statistical Advisory Committee
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What you measure matters
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Welcome the initiatives ‘GDP and beyond’
We already have a rich array of data describing the social circumstances of our populations
Over-attention on economic variables to the exclusion of others
Over-attention on nation as unit of analysis
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Evidence that inequalities within our societies are growing, exacerbated by the recessions
Leading to disruption and insecurity Countries with the greatest homogeneity
achieve the most
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Concern about an unrelenting pursuit of growth
At the expense of the poorest And of the environment
(the two are interconnected)
Behoves us to give visibility to the disenfranchised in our societies
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Quality of data
Currency and
punctuality
Currency and
punctuality
Relevance to policy
Relevance to policy
Potential for disaggregation
Potential for disaggregation
Coherence across sources
Coherence across sources
Clarity and transparencyClarity and
transparency
Consistency over time and space
Consistency over time and space
Validityand
reliability
Validityand
reliability
Comparability through
standards
Comparability through
standards
Accessibility and affordability
Accessibility and affordability
Efficient use of resourcesEfficient use of resources
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Purposes of cross-national data
To learn from one another (contrast and similarity) For purposes of national accountability (the indicator
movement) To build a greater global understanding through
comparison and through multiple instances of the same phenomena
To aggregate across national boundaries for a regional or global picture
To accelerate progress through sharing resources To make research more credible/ defensible recognising
that research which displeases is attacked rather than accepted
To distance the research from the political process (tension – policy relevance v. autonomy)
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Challenges to comparability
Language Culture Social systems and structure Administrative systems Ideology and politics Economics and resources Context – events Different methodologies and types of
methodological expertise (often deeply ingrained)
Shared national initiatives or a European initiative? Comparative by design Compiling national data in a European
framework (post-hoc comparability)
Both?
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Importance of partnership between the official statisticians and a broader ‘user’ community Building trust – a prerequisite for the collection
and use of data Advocating for the resources Sharing data – not all collected by official
agencies Creating expertise, adding value Communicating the data (even if they are
uncomfortable for our governments Building statistically literate communities
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Ideal scenario
Long term partnerships of both users and producers of research who Select topics pertinent to their situations and
policy needs Work together to develop common definitions
and instruments Combine the deep understanding of the ‘local’
and the perspicacity of the stranger
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Under-exploitation of existing data
There is growing awareness that failure to exploit the full potential of data has costs for society and many institutions and agencies now espouse the aim of ensuring that data are used as extensively as possible.
The International Statistical Institute’s declaration on professional ethics states that “A principle of all scientific work is that it should be open to scrutiny, assessment and possible validation by fellow scientists.”
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“Publicly funded research data are a public good, produced in the public interest. As such they should remain in the public realm. Availability should be restricted only by legitimate considerations of national security restrictions; protection of confidentiality and privacy; intellectual property rights; and time-limited exclusive use by principal investigators.”
Data grow in value the more they are used, unlike most commodities which are diminished with use.
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Better utilisation of what we have
Fresh data collection takes time and resources
Current financial constraints are impacting upon our ability to collect new data
Secondary data analysis can take place in resource–constrained (including a time-constrained) environment
Compliance costs important especially in small countries and in surveys of elites, businesses, institutions
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Conclusion Welcome this EESC hearing Believe in the importance of the further
development and greater exploitation of these ‘complementary’ data
So essential to build policies in our countries which address the quality of life of our citizens as well as environmental degradation
Developments must be underpinned by sound statistical methodology
Partnership with user community is vital to build the trust necessary to enhance our understanding of the progress of our societies
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