National Strategy for the Development of Official Statistics SWOT

1
National Strategy for the Development of Official
StatisticsSWOT

• Jozef Olenski
• NSDS Seminar
• World Bank
• Ministry of Statistics and Analysis
• Minsk, 15 16 March 2007

2
Why SWOT

• SWOT analysis is the method of objective
  evaluation of the existing system of statistics
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Treats
• SWOT analysis should be carried out
  systematically and continuously along with the
  realization of the NSDS

3
Strenghts

• Legal basis of official statistics. The Law on
  State Statistics of 28 November 2004.
• Institutional frameworks of coordination,
  programming and control of statistical surveys
  (Inter-governmental Committee of State
  Statistics).
• Position and competences of the Minister of
  Statistics and Analyses as the organ of official
  statistics.
• Position of Minstat as leading methodological and
  coordinating unit of centralized and
  decentralized official statistics.
• Complex middle - term program of development of
  official statistics for 2006 2010, adopted by
  the government.

4
Strenghts

• Organizational infrastructure of centralized
  statistical offices covering all the country.
• Cooperation of statistical offices with main
  respondents.
• Adequate level of education and motivated
  statistical staff.
• Experienced and motivated managerial staff of
  official statistics.
• Electronic Belarus - national program of
  development of information society and
  e-government in Belarus.
• Research Institute of Official Statistics and
  cooperation with science.

5
Weaknesses

• Statistical culture, especially of small and
  medium businesses, households and casual users.
• Shortage of high level methodologists
  representing modern approaches.
• Shortage of analytical staff in state statistics,
  especially on regional and local level
• Traditional.methods of questionnaire design
  paper typewriter driven questionnaires
• Autonomy of surveys problems with integration
  of data and internal redundancy.
• Underdevelopment of database systems both in
  centralized and branch statistics.
• Coordination of branch statistics by Minstat.
• Underdevelopment of ICT infrastructure both in
  official statistics, respondents and users.

6
Weaknesses

• Low level of ICT literacy of statistical staff
  that not having direct access to networks
  (intranets, internet)
• Limited use of electronic inscriptions
  blocking electronic data capturing and data
  interchange within statistical information
  systems.
• Underdevelopment of statistical metadata and
  paradata systems.
• Traditional methods of statistical data
  processing systems design
• Weak statistical frames simple registers of
  reporting units or identification of statistical
  units on the basis of censuses.
• Traditional forms of dissemination of
  information publication driven philosophy of
  dissemination, also on websites.

7
Opportunities

• Electronic Belarus chance for good, modern,
  integrated ICT infrastructure for all
  administrative information and statistics
• Perspective of ICT - based modernization of data
  collection, if statisticians and respondents are
  equipped in IT technology, electronic
  inscriptions and access to internet
• Perspective of development of modern ICT - based
  intranet of official statistics, covering
  centralized and branch statistics,
• Advanced implementation and know how of
  international standards their creative adoption
  to national requirements.
• International collaboration of Belarus statistics
  active participation of Belarus statisticians
  in international statistical activities relevant
  to economic and political possibilities.

8
Opportunities

• Determination of statistical staff to learn and
  to adopt creatively of best statistical practices
  and exchange the experiences
• Growing statistical needs users, both
  governments, businesses and society growing
  demand for statistical information.
• Cooperation with science shall facilitate
  implementing of modern methods of conducting
  surveys, analyses and use of information
  technologies.
• Cooperation with mass media
• Expected wide access to internet and intranet for
  dissemination, education, data interchange.

9
Threats

• Instability of statistical surveys caused by
  administrative functions of statistics
• Decentralized model of statistics introduced by
  the law of 2004. Statistical services in other
  ministries fuzzy borderline between
  administrative data and statistical data
• Position of statisticians in governments and
  businesses auxiliary personnel
• Access to administrative records of other
  governments for statistical purposes need of
  coherence of laws of ministries with the Law on
  State Statistics
• Use of statistical questionnaires and microdata
  for non-statistical (administrative) purposes
  may discourage potential respondents.

10
Threats

• Autonomous development of administrative
  information systems and records and their non
  integrated computerization may cause
  disintegration of information infrastructure of
  governments
• Low level of salaries of high level analysts,
  methodologists and IT staff in official
  statistics.
• Financing of statistics from government budget.
• Decreasing commitment of businesses and
  households to cooperating with statistics as
  respondents, especially some groups of businesses
  and households.
• Over-interpretation of statistical
  confidentiality.

11
Main conclusions from SWOT 2007

• Belarus statistics has the STRENTH of extensive
  implementing of the NSDS and effective
  absorption of available resources
• Strengthening the capacities of statistics(mainly
  ICT, analytical, research and methodological
  staff, metadata and management tools) is
  necessary for overcoming the WEAKNESSES
• Program of development of information society in
  Belarus is creating new opportinities of
  development of statistics
• Shortage of resources (below minimal level
  necessary for realizaiton of actions on the
  critical paths of the roadmap) is the main
  THREAT of implementing the NSDS