The National Statistical System in Italy. Coordinating function of Istat and the quality of statistics operations in the system

The National Statistical System in Italy. Coordinating function of Istat and the quality of statistics operations in the system

Presentation outline The Italian national statistical system: institutional frame, actors and main activities The European code of practice and the Italian code of official statistics. Monitoring the implementation of the Italian code i. Questionnaire ii. Peer reviews and iii. Feedback

The legislative frame of the National Statistical System (Sistan) Main source: Legislative decree No 322, 6th September 1989 From a centralized production model, to a network like set of administrative units

Official statistics and quality Official statistics are key resources in advanced democracies: they guarantee access to information (reduction of information asymmetries) both as knowledge and as support to (public and private) decision making processes in order to accomplish these goals official statistics should be, not only as such, but perceived as a credible output. Therefore quality must be assured. Quality here ca be translated in in terms of timeliness, effectiveness (validity and reliability, relevance, comparability) and accessibility to end users (consider later the Italian code of official statistics).

Governing actors COMSTAT - Committee for Policy and Coordination of Statistical Information to issue binding directives and guidance documents for statistical offices of the SISTAN to approve the National Statistical Program COGIS - Commission for the Protection and Quality of Statistical Information to advise (COMSTAT and Istat) on matters of data protection and quality requirements adopted in the works included in the National Statistical Program Istat - Italian National Institute of Statistics (in charge of the operating coordination and development of the Sistan)

In detail: the COMSTAT Purposes Istat is entrusted to coordinate the statistical office within the SISTAN through the COMSTAT Duties - to issue binding directives and guidance documents for statistical offices of the SISTAN - to approve the National Statistical Program Directives issued by COMSTAT Directive 1 Oct 15th 1991 Directive 2 Oct 15th 1991 Directive 3 Oct 15th 1991 Directive 4 Oct 15th 1991 Directive 5 Oct 15th 1991 Provisions for the statistical offices of the SISTAN, their organization or their possible reorganization Provisions for the organization and functioning of the Statistical Offices of the municipalities Criteria and procedures for the exchange of individual data within the National Statistical System Provisions for the organization and functioning of the Statistical Offices of the Chambers of Commerce. Provisions for the organization and functioning of the Statistical Offices of the Ministry of Interior and the Government s territorial offices

The COMSTAT Directives issued by the COMSTAT Directive No 6 Dec 18th 1992 Provisions for the organization and functioning of the Statistical Offices of the Provinces Directive No 7 Dec 18th 1992 Provisions for the organization and functioning of the Statistical Offices that take an associative/cooperative form as provided in art. 3, par 3 of the Legislative Decree No 322, 6th Sept 1989 Directive No 8 Nov 15th 2001 Provisions for the organization and functioning of the Statistical Offices of the mountain/island/archipelago communities Directive No 9 Apr 30th 2004 Guidelines for the communication of personal data within the National Statistical System (repealed COMSTAT s 1991 Directive No 3) Directive No 10 Mar 17th 2010 Adoption of the Italian Code of Official Statistics

4 main functions of the Sistan To meet the demand for official statistics at the European, international, national and local level To foster and regulate statistical data communication To support the needs of users and respondents To encourage the development of integrated statistical information systems

Sistan: main features A network of 3.500 statistical offices and 8.800 public employees supporting the provision of the country with official statistics

The National Statistical System Istat Public bodies and agencies in charge of providing statistical information Inea Isfol Statistical offices of: Central Government 16 Government s territorial offices (Prefectures) 99 Public agencies 18 Regions and Autonomous Provinces 21 Provinces 80 Capital of province/ municipality >30.000 inhab. 262 Municipalities < 30.000 inhab. 2.802 Chambers of Commerce 103 Other local administrations 48 Other private and public bodies 9 Total 3.458

Tasks of the Istat Legislative decree 322/1989, art. 15 Realization of general censuses and any other survey planned in the year National Statistical Program drafting (see below) Technical assistance to agencies and offices of the Sistan and evaluation, based on criteria established by the COMSTAT, of the compliance of their activities with the goals set within the PSN Policy-making and coordination of the activities of agencies and offices members of the SISTAN Drafting of nomenclatures and basic methods for classification and detection of demographic, economic and sociological phenomena. Nomenclatures and methods are binding for all members of the SISTAN Research and analysis activities using data from censuses and other surveys

Tasks of the Statistical offices (Legislative decree 322/1989 art. 6+ COMSTAT s Directive No 1 art.2) To promote and implement the collection, processing, archiving and dissemination of statistical data related to their administration under the National Statistical Program (PSN) To supply the SISTAN with data related to their administration to be used for statistical purposes, so as provided within the PSN. Data can be transmitted in individual form but not by name. To collaborate with other administrations in order to implement the surveys provided within the PSN To contribute to the promotion and development of IT tools for the management of archives and the collection of administrative data To promote the statistical information systems interoperabiliy within the National Statistical Systems To check violations incurred by those who do not provide data (surveys included in the PSN), or by those who knowingly provide false data and consequently to apply the administrative fines laid down in the Legislative decree 322/1989 art. 11, par. 3

Management of the statistical offices A statistical office should to be organized so that it can perform the following tasks : within the administration they are located in direct production of statistics implied by the activities performed in each administration, with special regard to the use of administrative sources coordination of all the activities of statistical interest, when data are produced in/by other offices (policy implementation or service delivery oriented); cooperation with other offices within the National Statistical System LOCATION OF STATISTICAL OFFICES A structure specifically dedicated to the statistical function A multipurpose structure that performs the statistical function among other tasks

The tasks of the Sistan SISTAN planning and prioritizing PSN (National statistical Program) The official statistics of public interest are defined covering a three-year period and updating the proposed supply each year

Types of statistical works included in the PSN Sample field surveys and censuses Administrative data treatment proposals Derived statistics proposals Proposals/projects for new surveys Statistical information systems

The 11 sectors of the National Statistical Program 1. Environment 2. Population and households; living conditions and social participation 3. Health and social services 4. Education, training, culture 5. Labour, income support and social security 6. Legal system and security 7. Agriculture, forestry and fishing 8. Industry and services: structural and cross-section statistics 9. Industry and services: statistics by sectos 10. National and regional accounts; price statistics 11. Public sector and private institutions

The demand for official statistics: the role of quality circles The official statistics producers meet regularly to set up the main information needs, both in substantive and methodological terms, they are able to check from an institutional point of view. The people involved in the circles meetings o analyze the demand for statistical information at national, European and international level o assess whether and how the supply of statistical information can be improved o detect the gap between demand and supply of statistical information o monitor the performance of the planned work in their sector

Besides the quality circles consultation meetings among producers, a Committee of official statistics user (CUIS) was established in 2010 Esac (?) Coordination with the European Statistical Advisory Committee Cuis Official statistics user Detection of the demand for official statistics (accessibility, usability, friendlyness, timeliness, ) Quality circles Institutional demands/requirements for statistical information

Obligation to report to statistical survey included in the PSN Legislative Decree 322/1989, art. 12 PUBLIC AUTHORITIES The obligation to report data applies to all public administrations, bodies and organizations, which are therefore required to provide all data being requested for any survey included in the PSN PRIVATE BODIES (firms, institutions, individuals) The same obligation holds for all private bodies involved in those PSN surveys listed in a specific Presidential Decree EXEMPTIONS Exempted by the response obligation are the questions related to sensitive data and/or judicial proceedings as stated in art. 22 and 24 of L. 675/1996 (see now art. 4, par. 1, letters d) and e), of Legislative Decree No 196/2003, Code for the protection of personal data)

Obligation to report For special surveys also included in the PSN, but listed apart, the breach of the obligation to provide the requested information (as well as knowingly providing incorrect or incomplete data) is punishable by an ADMINISTRATIVE FINE, according to art. 11 Legislative Decree 322/1989 The Finance Act 2008 (Law 244/2007), in Article 3, paragraph 74, amended paragraph 1 of art. 7 of Legislative Decree 322/1989: the paragraph establishes for which kind of data the non-provision constitutes a breach of the obligation (proposed by the President of ISTAT, heard the Comstat, by resolution of the Council of Ministers issued a decree of the President of the Republic). The proceeds of administrative fines are included in a separated line of ISTAT budget and have to be used to meet the costs of surveys included in the PSN

Second topic The European code of practice and the Italian code of official statistics. Monitoring the implementation of the Italian code

The Italian Code of official statistics Policy design (starting phase) The COMSTAT shares the european deliberation Setting up of a working group Design and execution of a pilot survey Approval of the working group final report by COMSTAT Public consultation on the 15 principles of the code COMSTAT directive on the adoption of the code

The Code of Practice on European Statistics Request from ECOFIN Council (June 2004) for specific actions regarding the governance European Commission Towards a European governance strategy for fiscal statistics (COM (2004) 832 of 22.12.2004) It defines a strategy for strengthening the credibility of European statistics along 3 lines of action 1. Building up the legislative framework 2. Improving the operational capacities of the relevant Commission services 3. Establishing European standards on the independence of the national and EU statistical authorities

Implementation of the Code of Practice on European Statistics Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and to the Council on the independence, integrity and accountability of the national and Community statistical authorities COM(2005) 217 of 25.5.2005 EUROPEAN STATISTICS CODE OF PRACTICE To improve trust and confidence in the statistical authorities by proposing certain institutional and organisational arrangements To reinforce quality of the statistics they produce and disseminate To promote the coherent application of best international statistical principles, methods and practices by all producers of official statistics in Europe

Implementation of the Code of Practice on European Statistics Final Report SPONSORSHIP ON QUALITY European Statistical System Committee (ESSC) September 2011 Adoption of the revised Code of Practice Art. 11 Reg. PE Council 223/2009 Published on the site: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/qualit y/documents/cop_october_2011.pdf

Implementation of the Code of Practice on European Statistics Institutional environment Professional independence Mandate for data collection Adequacy of resources Quality commitment Statistical confidentiality Impartiality and objectivity Self-regulatory instrument Peer Review EUROPEAN STATISTICS CODE OF PRACTICE 15 principles indicators Statistical Output Relevance Accuracy and reliability Timeliness and punctuality Coherence and comparability Accessibility and clarity Statistical Processes Sound methodology Appropriate statistical procedures Non excessive burden on respondents Cost effectiveness

Revision and development of the Code of Practice 2011, main changes Principle 1 Professional independence Strengthening of the independence with the inclusion of a new indicator (the appointment and the dismissal of heads of the NSIs is based on professional competence only) Principle 4 Commitment to quality (the principle has been modified, and the indicators as well) It was reformulated with a particular attention to quality policy and procedures Principle 8 - Appropriate statistical procedures More attention is devoted to the role of statistical authorities in the design of administrative data Statistical authorities are involved in the design of administrative data in order to make administrative data more suitable for statistical purposes and co-operate with owners of administrative data in assuring data quality Principle 10 - Cost effectiveness Statistical authorities promote and implement standardized solutions that increase effectiveness and efficiency Principle 15 Accessibility and clarity Users are kept informed about the quality of statistical outputs

The COMSTAT shares the European deliberation The Comstat recognizes the value of the Code as a tool for the strengthening of the National Statistical System by creating a self-regulatory tool to help identify measures to improve the quality of the statistics, focusing the attention on organisational requirements production and dissemination criteria investing on official statistics reputation, and to increase users confidence in official statistics

COMSTAT directive Adoption of the Code of Italian official statistics (17 March 2010, Directive no. 10 ) Scope (article 1) Principles (art. 2) the same as in the European CoP Code implementation initiatives (art. 3) Self-assessment of the Code implementation advancement (art. 4) Monitoring of the Code implementation (Article 5)

Initiatives to implement the Code (art. 3) Istat promotes the knowledge and application of Code within the Sistan through specific communications, training, rewarding mechanisms and dissemination of best practices. Bodies and offices of the SISTAN undertake initiatives to give effect to the principles of the Code, promoting within their own administration the knowledge of the Code and the necessary steps for its proper execution. Bodies and offices shall inform the Istat of any difficulties encountered in applying the Code so that proper actions to overcome these difficulties can be undertaken.

Self-assessment of the Code implementation process (art. 4) 1. Bodies and offices of the SISTAN assess the compliance with the Code of their own statistical production processes 2. The tools for the assessment shall be established by Istat and approved by COMSTAT

Monitoring the status of implementation of the Code (Article 5) Istat carries out the monitoring of the Code implementation and reports yearly to Comstat the - monitoring results (art. 4 + 5) - initiatives undertaken (art. 3) Following these evidences COMSTAT eventually might adopt measures to improve the implementation process

Istat initiatives Task force July 2010 Methods/Tools Sept 2010 - Dec 2011 Testing phase Survey/ Questionnaire Final reporting to COMSTAT Peer review/ interview outline Peer review report Jan 2012 - Apr 2013 1st monitoring, and September 2013- January 2014 2nd monitoring. The third is incoming (by the end of 2014).

SCOPE Questionnaire Detect the degree of awareness of the Statistical Offices about the principles of the Code in accordance with a multidimensional definition of quality STRUCTURE It is the result of the operationalization of the principles of the Code. A set of 56 closed-ended questions, self-administered (CAWI) TARGET In 2012, 656 out of 3.458 Offices of the SISTAN were selected according to type of unit (central government, public bodies and local authorities and private entities); territorial coverage (north, central, south and islands); unit dimension (employees) WAVES Each every 3 years (planned)

Peer review: what is it? According to OECD definition: a peer review is the systematic examination and assessment of the performance of an office by other offices (peer reviewers are employees of other SISTAN offices) The main goals are improving the reviewed organization policies, adopting best practices, and responsiveness to standards and principles establishing a dialogue between offices capacity building Peer review never implies a punitive decision or sanction

Peer review: how does it work? The reviewed office allows other offices employees to assess its own work in order to bring out strengths, weaknesses and identify directions for improvement Switching roles. Peer reviewers are to be chosen among offices that are also going to be reviewed CONDITIONS Standing equality Mutual trust Sharing practices

Peer review: the process Visit to the reviewed office in which a semistructured interview with standardized tools is carried out Drafting of a peer review report by the reviewer team (results, recommandations and good practices) Final feedback to the reviewed office

Peer review: outcomes The report helps to improve the quality of statistical activities focusing on concrete and practical recommendations to each office. The cross-reading of the Reports allows to make a comprehensive analysis of the whole network of statistical offices, and to suggest a set of proposals to improve the System actions and other means of intervention (in terms of regulations, guidelines, recommendations, toolkits) whose adoption will be monitored over time within this framework.

The National Statistical System in Italy. Coordinating function of Istat and the quality of statistics operations in the system