Disseminating statistical information on economic development

1
Disseminating statistical information on
economic development

• UNECE Training Workshop Short-term statistics
  and seasonal adjustment Astana, 14 17 March
  2011
• Petteri Baer, Marketing Manager, Statistics
  Finland

2
Information services usually provided on economic
development

• Opinion surveys (e.g., business and consumer
  surveys, purchasing managers surveys, bank
  lending survey) at least monthly with a high
  timeliness
• Market data (e.g. stock market data, exchange
  rates, yields) at least daily, frequently
  tick-by-tick
• Short-term statistics (e.g. Harmonised CPI
  (HICP), unemployment rate, leading indicators)
  monthly
• Monetary and financial statistics (e.g. MFI
  (bank) balance sheets interest rates,
  securities, balance of payments) monthly
  mainly by central banks
• National accounts (e.g. GDP, sector accounts)
  quarterly and annually

3
Operational environment of services on economic
statistics

• Growing demand for fresh and timely statistical
  information on the economic development
• Highlighted by the financial and economic crisis
• But existing in all phases of the economic cycle
• Strong influence of rapid communication tools
• Growing information overflow
• Importance of quality issues
• For the service products themselves
• For building up the reputation of official
  statistics

4
To develop better interaction with users we need
to be proactive

• Who are our present users of economic statistics?
• Who are our present users of short-term economic
  statistics?
• Who are our POTENTIAL users of short-term
  economic statistics?

5
Nota bene! Users are different Tourists,
Farmers, Miners

• We will most likely have to define different
  ways to approach different users, if we wish to
  have efficient communication

Courtesy to Armin Grossenbacher
6
So Who are in need of information on STS? (1)

• The easy reply
• Policy makers
• Business community
• Media and
• General public
• But note Policy makers are much more than only
  ministries
• Central Bank
• High level advisory groups
• The district (oblast) level
• The local level
• Trade unions, lobbies, NGOs

7
So Who are in need of information on STS? (2)

• The business community is a much broader target
  group than often believed
• Banks
• Insurance companies
• Big corporations
• Medium sized enterprises
• Chambers of commerce
• Branch organizations
• Employers organizations
• Foreign companies
• Etc.

8
So Who are in need of information on STS? (3)

• And numerous target groups mentioned above
  usually employ
• Business analysts, researchers, economists
• Or make use of
• Information brokers
• Business intelligence systems or
• Knowledge managements systems
• Do we provide sufficient information services to
  them? In proper forms?

9
To disseminate economic statistics efficiently
Database services!

• We produce quite a lot of statistical information
• Different users have different need structures,
  they want information
• By industries, By enterprise sizes
• By regions
• Comparisons over different time periods
• International comparisons
• And numerous other aspects
• PC-Axis, PX-Web User friendly services!

10
The importance of good contact information

• User lists
• Existing customers and contacts
• Regular and heavy users of economical statistics
• Contact directories
• Feedback contacts
• ? Contact / Customer database
• ? Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

11
To improve user interaction we will at least
need a Customer Database

• For contacting
• For surveys on satisfaction or dissatisfaction
• For presenting new targeted services
• For other forms of interaction

12
Customer Database
Functions Information providers Information users
Customerservice
Customers
Developmentprojects
Customerintelligence
Contactintelligence
Lead intelligence
Mana-gement
Customer database
Campaignintelligence
Product development
Informationretrievals
Project intelligence
Quoteintelligence
Adminis-tration
Marketing
Project groups
Sales
13
We will profit much from active feedback

• Having more feedback will help us to develop our
  services
• Interaction with critical customers will help us
  in having a positive pressure on performing
  better
• A demanding customer is like a grain of sand
  within the mussel. It doesnt feel good but the
  result may be a beautiful pearl!

14
Publicity may sometimes be tough!

• Statistics often tends to attract hostile media
  coverage
• Why does it take so long?
• My own perception is different!
• Lies, Big lies, Statistics!

Any votes for the Census?
But - is there an alternativeto providing better
publicity?
15
Questions to be raised

• The importance of good and timely statistical
  information
• How can resources be allocated if basic
  information on the economic development is based
  on guesses or too old information?
• Attracting investments, doing good business,
  developing economic activities needs good
  infrastructure reliable official statistics is
  fundamental
• If the denominators of such as population
  statistics, GDP etc. are wrong, no real
  information is reliable

16
Take publicity seriously

• Develop useful statistical service products
• Make a good plan of what will be published
• Publication calendar
• Provide regular Media/Press releases
• Make use of your agencys Press Officer
• Press Conferences from time to time
• but not too often!
• Also critical media should always be invited!
• Cost plan and budget for publicity activities
• Follow up on media appearance both quantities
  and attitudes

17
The media is your partner

• In disseminating the main results of all your
  hard work on statistics
• In making problematic issues known
• Help the media to be well informed!

18
Statistical literacy

• Beyond students or school pupils
• Special information seminars, breakfast sessions
  or other kinds of light information meetings for
  selected target groups would be advisable
• The web site of the International Statistical
  Literacy Project of IASE could be helpful in
  planning
• http//www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/iase/islp/countrie
  s

19
Presentation of statistical information on
Short-term statistics

• KISS Keep It Short and Simple
• Storytelling approach
• UNECEs Making Data Meaningful materials 1 - 3
• Available on the web, also in Russian, so far
  only 1 2
• Focus on turning points
• Omit accidental events and noise
• The importance of seasonal adjustment

20
Conclusions Five items of great importance

• Existence of good STS services
• Packaging the STS services into for the different
  user categories relevant service products
• Maintaining good accessibility on the web
• Obtaining, updating and increasing contact
  information on users
• Meeting and discussing with and learning from
  main users

21
The efforts you will make will be rewarded,
because

• Only used statistical information is useful
  statistical information!
• Thank you for your attention!
• petteri.baer_at_stat.fi