There is increasing awareness of the need to strengthen statistical capacity to support the design, monitoring and evaluation of national development plans. National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) are designed to achieve this goal. This guide prepared by the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the Twenty-first Century (PARIS21) aims primarily to assist developing countries to design their NSDSs but will also be useful to development partners.
The NSDS should be integrated into national development policy processes and context, taking account of regional and international commitments. It should be developed in an inclusive way, incorporating results-based management principles and meet quality standards. It should be comprehensive and coherent and provide the basis for the sustainable development of statistics with quality. It ought to show where the statistical system is now, how it needs to be developed and how to accomplish this.
A good strategy should include mechanisms for consultation with the main stakeholders, an assessment of the current status of the system, an agreed vision, an identification of strategic actions, an action plan and mechanisms to monitor progress. Deciding on what agencies, data sets, and activities are to be covered by the NSDS in any one country will be a national decision. Nevertheless, the NSDS process should have as broad a coverage as possible:
- A broad NSDS process can promote greater coordination and cooperation in statistics and increase efficiency.
- It will help to bring the supply of statistics more in line with demand. Specific plans can then be prepared for improving data coverage, frequency, timeliness and other measures of quality.
- It can help develop the level of interest in, and support for, the development of the concept of National Statistics. It should build on experience in coordinating and improving the quality of National Statistics.
- The concept of the National Statistical System and the strategic plan should be demand-focused and user-friendly to maximize the added value of statistic outputs.
- Strategic planning should take into consideration use at different levels -national, international, and domestic regional.
The preparation of a good strategy will depend, crucially, on what mechanisms and processes are already in place. The following phases are recommended:
- Phase I: Launching the process (NSDS Design Road Map). This involves advocacy, sensitisation and dialogue with politicians, policy-makers, and decision-makers.
- Phase II: Assessment of the Current Status of the National Statistical System. This includes: collecting and analysing existing documentation; identifying user satisfaction, data needs and gaps; assessing outputs against quality criteria; assessing methodologies and the quality of statistics; assessing existing capacity to meet the needs and gaps; reviewing the legal and institutional framework, linkages, and coordination arrangements; and assessing organisational factors.
- Phase III: Developing the vision and identifying strategic options. This involves agreeing a mission and vision statements, agreeing on desired results and setting priorities and strategies to deliver the vision and results.
- Phase IV: Preparing the implementation plan. This requires a costed and time-bound action plan and a financial plan incorporating proposals for external assistance.
- Phase V: Implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Statistical systems must remain flexible. Strategic management should be a continuous process with mechanisms to monitor and evaluate progress, to review the strategy and to make modifications.
