On professional independence

Abstract

This article purports to contribute to the discussion and elucidation of the issue of professional independence in official statistics through the analysis of the basic tenets that inform its raison d’ etre, the main threats against it and the possible measures NSO’s can promote to protect it. It presents some cases, both from the past and present, where governments from different countries have intervened against or attempted to interfere in the work of their national statistical offices, undermining the integrity of official statistical data for the benefit of political interests. As a case study of the ways NSOs can promote the protection of their professional independence, the process of institutional autonomy of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI) is examined.