Trusted Smart Statistics: How new data will change official statistics

Fabio Ricciato,Martina Hahn,Albrecht Wirthmann

doi:10.1017/dap.2020.7

Abstract

Abstract In this discussion paper, we outline the motivations and the main principles of the Trusted Smart Statistics (TSS) concept that is under development in the European Statistical System. TSS represents the evolution of official statistics in response to the challenges posed by the new datafied society. Taking stock from the availability of new digital data sources, new technologies, and new behaviors, statistical offices are called nowadays to rethink the way they operate in order to reassert their role in modern democratic society. The issue at stake is considerably broader and deeper than merely adapting existing processes to embrace so-called Big Data. In several aspects, such evolution entails a fundamental paradigm shift with respect to the legacy model of official statistics production based on traditional data sources, for example, in the relation between data and computation, between data collection and analysis, between methodological development and statistical production, and of course in the roles of the various stakeholders and their mutual relationships. Such complex evolution must be guided by a comprehensive system-level view based on clearly spelled design principles. In this paper, we aim at providing a general account of the TSS concept reflecting the current state of the discussion within the European Statistical System.

Highlights

The mission of official statistics is to provide a quantitative representation of the society, economy, and environment for purposes of public interest, for policy design, and evaluation, and as basis for informing the public debate
1 This choice is motivated by the fact that what matters for our discussion is not the size of the data but rather their qualitative characteristics: we argue throughout the paper that the exploitation of new data sources calls for a fundamental rethinking of the whole system of official statistics, not because they are bigger than traditional data sources, but because they are deeply different
Official statistics are produced according to established principles, rules, and standards that collectively aim at achieving independence, professionalism, transparency, and quality along the whole process

Summary

Introduction

The mission of official statistics is to provide a quantitative representation of the society, economy, and environment for purposes of public interest, for policy design, and evaluation, and as basis for informing the public debate. Official statistics provides the society with knowledge of itself (Letouzé and Jütting, 2015). The production of modern official statistics is based on a system of scientific methods, regulations, codes, practices, ethical principles, and institutional settings that was developed through the last two centuries at the national level in parallel to the development of modern states. Statistical systems were formed in a predigital world where data were a scarce commodity, very costly to acquire at large scale. A large part of SO resources was devoted to the collection of (input)

Objectives

Conclusion