The importance of quality research practice

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The importance of quality research practice
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UNICEF as a Data Driven Organization

• Data is a basis for
• Global and regional reports on the state of
  children
• Program planning, monitoring and reporting
• Inputs for policy-making
• Inputs for equity-focused strategies
• Analysis and studies to inform policy
  implementation
• Objective monitoring and validation of results

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Applying Principles in Practice

• To promote use of quality data
• To facilitate access to reliable, regular and
  disaggregated data for planning, monitoring and
  reporting
• How does UNICEF do it
• 1) Through primary data collection
• 2) Through analysis of primary and secondary data
  
• 3) Through strengthening administrative data
  systems and data management

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1) Primary Data Collection

• Regular surveys
• Global Multiple-Indicator Cluster Survey MICS
  (every 5 years)
• Ad- hoc surveys- to close the gap in knowledge
• School optimization
• Salt iodization
• Costing of Inclusive Education
• Child Care Reform

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MICS

• Global household survey in over 100 countries - 4
  rounds to date
• Approximately 130 indicators
• In Serbia
• MICS 4 conducted by SORS in 2010 (Roma sample)
• Questionnaires customized to local needs
• Key source of disaggregated data (regions,
  urban/rural, gender, education, age, wealth,
  ethnicity)
• Rigorous quality assurance global methodology
• All MICS materials, including data sets are
  publicly available

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2) Analysis of primary and secondary data sources

• The Many Faces of Poverty (LSMS)
• The State of Children in Serbia- Poor and
  Excluded Children (LSMS and MICS)
• Access to Services in Rural Area (LSMS, MICS,
  Social Inclusion in Rural Areas)
• Impact of the potential tax reform on the poorest
  (LSMS)
• Costing of Pre-school Education (Budget Data)
• Targeting of Child Allowances (LSMS)

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3) Strengthening Administrative Data

• Key Issues
• Collected data not adequate for monitoring
  policies and measures (type disaggregation)
• Lack of regular revisiting and revision of
  administrative data collection by data users and
  producers
• Inconsistencies in the same type of data coming
  from different sources
• Insufficient transfer of data from providers to
  users in user-friendly formats

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3) Strengthening Administrative Data

• Examples of UNICEF support
• Social Protection
• - Defining of core and secondary social
  protection indicators
• Revision of data collection instruments in the
  area of social protection
• Capacity building for data analysis
• Transfer systems between ISP and SORS
• b) Roma health
• Strengthening data base on Roma health indicators
• Advancing data entry and processing techniques

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3) Strengthening Administrative Data

• Support to data availability
• a) DevInfo (DI) database
• - Administered by RSO from 2006
• National DI - under revision to support reporting
  as per national MDGs and Social Inclusion and
  Poverty Reduction indicators
• Municipal DI available administrative and
  survey data customized in user-friendly Municipal
  Profiles
• b) TransMonee database
• Regional administrative data on social
  protection, employment, education indicators,
  current harmonization with ESPROSS requirements

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Example of DevInfo Municipal Profile
PBILD Zajednicki program UN, UN Kancelarija u
Bujanovcu Karadorda Petrovica bb, 17520
Bujanovac, Srbij?
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Cooperation with SORS

• SORS as a long term and reliable partner
• Cooperation on DevInfo, TransMonee, MICS
• Mutual learning and capacity development
• Facilitation in establishing institutionalized
  data exchange procedures
• Possible areas of future attention
• Resolving discrepancies in administrative data
  collected from different sources
• Creating a more dynamic cooperation between line
  ministries and SORS
• Strengthening capacity for data usage and
  availability of data at municipal level

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Cooperation with decision-makers research
community

• Partnership with decision-makers
• Aim is to promote and support evidence-based
  policy making
• Wide dissemination of and policy advocacy based
  on quality research (MICS 4, studies)
• Independent institutions (Parliament, Ombudsman)
• Partnership with the research community
• NGOs
• Think-tanks
• Universities

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Thoughts for further discussion

• Availability of high quality data sets
• Pre-conditions for continuous monitoring of
  policy implementation
• Availability of analytical capacity
• Effective cooperation between SORS, ministries,
  NGOs and think-tanks in the area of research