How can professional and ethical frameworks strengthen statisticians in their practical work?

Abstract

Professional and ethical frameworks, like the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (UN FPOS) and the International Statistical Institute Declaration on Professional Ethics (ISI DPE), are essential in order to give guidance to National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and statisticians from all over the world. Both have become an integral part of, and common sources of reference for, the global and national statistical systems. But what if infringements occur? A closer look at concrete case studies/scenarios provides the basis for a discussion of possible solutions based on the UN FPOS implementation guidelines. More specifically the paper focuses on case studies/scenarios regarding principle 4 of the UN FPOS, Prevention of misuse, and the cross-cutting issue of Independence (referring to principles 1, 2 and part II of the UN FPOS implementation guidelines). These two issues have been chosen because they are both covered by the frameworks mentioned above and they reflect the current discussion at international level. The UN Statistical Commission established an international Friends of the Chair group in 2011 which, among other things, developed the UN FPOS implementation guidelines from 2013 to 2015. These contain concrete recommendations for activities that enhance the practical implementation of the UN FPOS and ensure the independence of national statistical systems. Concrete examples and experiences of implementation from UN Member States and a collection of statistical laws are integrated in this work. The Friends of the Chair group also dealt with the question of how to address perceived violations. Both of these main tasks of the Friends of the Chair group are presented in this paper.