How can we improve links between organizations producing statistics and studies, between them and the scientific community, the media, data users and the public? How to develop the governance system of the statistical institution? For Larabi Jaïdi, Economist and Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, four conditions seem essential to meet.
On improving links between statistical producing organizations, the scientific community, the media, data users and the public, Larabi Jaïdi proposes an approach based on four essential conditions to be met to strengthen the national statistical system.
Guarantee the independence of statistical institutions
The first condition put forward by Jaïdi is the guarantee of the independence of statistical institutions. According to him, “whatever the confidence placed in the professionalism and ethics of statisticians, it is essential that the legal bases for the independence of the public statistical system are guaranteed. » He recalls that although statisticians are very attached to their professional independence, this is not yet enshrined in law. This lack of legal recognition can weaken the credibility and effectiveness of institutions that develop, produce and disseminate statistics. He believes that institutional and organizational factors play a fundamental role in the solidity of a statistical authority, and that it is crucial to legislate on this independence. This must include elements such as the data collection mandate, the adequacy of resources, the commitment to quality, the preservation of statistical confidentiality, the impartiality and objectivity of the analyzes provided. “We must therefore affirm this independence and its principles in a law,” he insists.
Create an institutionalized space for debate
The second condition consists of creating a space for institutionalized debate where the different economic and social actors could express their needs and discuss the quality of statistical information. Jaïdi proposes the creation of a structure such as a National Council for Statistical Information (CNIS) which would coordinate the various producers of information. He underlines that current coordination is often hampered, on the one hand by “reluctance of institutional particularisms” and on the other, by risks of monopolization of information, which could harm transparency and independence. statistics.
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To guarantee a sustainable statistical offer adapted to the needs of economic policies in a context of international competition, Jaïdi recommends better institutional structuring. He specifies that the CNIS would not be limited to providing information, but would also play an educational role, by allowing users to appropriate the data provided. This council “should provide all users with the means to appropriate this information and thus affirm an educational function of the public statistical system.” This would include user consultation procedures to assess the relevance of existing statistics and identify new needs. According to Jaïdi, such a space for debate would improve the readability, relevance and use of data by all stakeholders involved.
Adopt a statistical code of good practice
The third condition put forward by Jaïdi is the adoption of a statistical code of good practice. This code, according to him, should be based on clear principles that cover the institutional environment, statistical procedures and the results themselves. Jaïdi believes that “different indicators of good practice would constitute reference criteria for evaluating the application of the code”. He proposes that statistical authorities such as the High Commission for Planning (HCP), as well as the governments and ministries concerned, undertake to respect this code. The latter would establish standards and guidelines on how statistical authorities organize, collect, process and disseminate information. Based on these good practices, the credibility of the statistics would be strengthened, because they would be perceived as produced within a rigorous and transparent framework. This approach, according to Jaïdi, would strengthen the confidence of the public and decision-makers in the quality of the data provided. He emphasizes that “the credibility of statistics would be reinforced by a reputation for good management and efficiency”, which would promote an environment of transparency and rigor around the data disseminated.
Develop a master plan for statistical information
The fourth and final condition concerns the development of a master plan for statistical information. Jaïdi believes that this diagram would be built on an exhaustive inventory of the data collected, specifying their origin, their type and the units of measurement used. This inventory, according to him, would make it possible to identify “resources of information” hitherto ignored or neglected, as well as to discover potential synergies between hitherto compartmentalized segments. This master plan would not be limited to improving data collection, but it would also aim to make the best use of existing information, by encouraging its sharing between the different stakeholders concerned. At the same time, it would provide a global synthesis of information to ensure that governing bodies have a complete set of meaningful parameters from the stock of accessible information. In other words, this scheme would make it possible to optimize the statistical system as a whole, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to complete, relevant and easily usable information.
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In conclusion, the Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South emphasizes that “there are no perfect statistics”, but that it is imperative to produce reliable and well-structured statistics to allow a calm and peaceful debate. informed about socio-economic indicators and public policies. He insists on the fact that, to have a constructive debate around economic policies, there must first be a consensus on the quality, readability and homogeneity of the data used. Without agreement on the methods of producing the figures, “the debate no longer has much political meaning”. It therefore advocates a profound reform of the governance of the statistical system, in order to guarantee the independence of institutions producing statistics, to create a structured framework for debate, to adopt a code of good practice and to put in place a master plan. to improve the use and dissemination of statistical information. For him, these reforms are essential to strengthen the transparency, efficiency and credibility of data, fundamental elements for an informed public debate.
Why does the HCP sometimes find itself faced with difficulties when it wants to convince?
For Larabi Jaïdi, statistical information constitutes an essential basis for providing the democratic debate with robust references. However, the High Commission for Planning (HCP), the main actor in the national statistical system, sometimes finds itself confronted with difficulties when it wants to convince political, economic and social decision-makers of the relevance of the information produced by it and the interpretation of its indicators.
He first mentions the problem of the relevance of statistics, which cannot be measured objectively. Jaïdi notes that “the scientific validity of many indicators is often put into perspective” because they only give a partial vision of reality, as is the case for key variables such as the unemployment rate or the GDP growth rate. .
The lack of readability of the social phenomena described by statistics constitutes another challenge. Jaïdi explains that the controversies do not result from a lack of scientific rigor, but from an inability to refine indicators to better reflect the complexity of often changing social realities. He thus criticizes the rigidity of statistical categories which, when not revised over long periods, risk losing their relevance.
A lack of coordination within the statistical system is also highlighted. Jaïdi deplores the absence of a harmonized organization between the different producers of statistics, which results in scattered and poorly comparable data. He particularly criticizes the coexistence of data from HCP surveys and “routine” statistics collected by various administrations.
Finally, Jaïdi points out the rigidity in the interpretation of the data and the insufficient openness of the HCP to external requests. According to him, HCP often operates in isolation, thus limiting the depth of analyzes and innovation. It calls for better collaboration with the different stakeholders in order to meet multiple expectations, whether they come from public institutions, the private sector or the academic world.
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