Strategic coordination of a National Statistical System: the case of the Portuguese Statistical Council

João Cadete de Matos*, Olga Monteiro, André Dias

Banco de Portugal, Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract:

Official statistics are a public good. To ensure that this purpose is rightfully achieved, it is essential to have a strong National Statistical System, in which a commitment of all parties involved is a necessary condition to meet its full potential. The design of such a system should provide: (a) a clear division of responsibilities and work between the participating institutions; (b) a framework for adopting common methodologies, concepts and nomenclatures and sharing lists of statistical units and administrative data; and (c) an institutional setup where producers and users of official statistics interact productively.

In this context, this paper explores the role and the importance of the Statistical Council as a strategic coordination body of the Portuguese Statistical System. To this extent, we discuss the enhancements of official statistics that this forum promotes and highlight the role of this body in the development of core projects with spillovers across all stakeholders of the National Statistical System.

Keywords: Statistical Council, statistical coordination, statistical system, official statistics.

Pages: 185 – 191 | Full PDF Paper