Innovations in Federal Statistics

Innovations in Federal Statistics
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 151
Release: 2017-04-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 030945428X

Federal government statistics provide critical information to the country and serve a key role in a democracy. For decades, sample surveys with instruments carefully designed for particular data needs have been one of the primary methods for collecting data for federal statistics. However, the costs of conducting such surveys have been increasing while response rates have been declining, and many surveys are not able to fulfill growing demands for more timely information and for more detailed information at state and local levels. Innovations in Federal Statistics examines the opportunities and risks of using government administrative and private sector data sources to foster a paradigm shift in federal statistical programs that would combine diverse data sources in a secure manner to enhance federal statistics. This first publication of a two-part series discusses the challenges faced by the federal statistical system and the foundational elements needed for a new paradigm.

Federal Statistics, Multiple Data Sources, and Privacy Protection

Federal Statistics, Multiple Data Sources, and Privacy Protection
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2018-01-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309465370

The environment for obtaining information and providing statistical data for policy makers and the public has changed significantly in the past decade, raising questions about the fundamental survey paradigm that underlies federal statistics. New data sources provide opportunities to develop a new paradigm that can improve timeliness, geographic or subpopulation detail, and statistical efficiency. It also has the potential to reduce the costs of producing federal statistics. The panel's first report described federal statistical agencies' current paradigm, which relies heavily on sample surveys for producing national statistics, and challenges agencies are facing; the legal frameworks and mechanisms for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of statistical data and for providing researchers access to data, and challenges to those frameworks and mechanisms; and statistical agencies access to alternative sources of data. The panel recommended a new approach for federal statistical programs that would combine diverse data sources from government and private sector sources and the creation of a new entity that would provide the foundational elements needed for this new approach, including legal authority to access data and protect privacy. This second of the panel's two reports builds on the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations in the first one. This report assesses alternative methods for implementing a new approach that would combine diverse data sources from government and private sector sources, including describing statistical models for combining data from multiple sources; examining statistical and computer science approaches that foster privacy protections; evaluating frameworks for assessing the quality and utility of alternative data sources; and various models for implementing the recommended new entity. Together, the two reports offer ideas and recommendations to help federal statistical agencies examine and evaluate data from alternative sources and then combine them as appropriate to provide the country with more timely, actionable, and useful information for policy makers, businesses, and individuals.

Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide

Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2008-08-22
Genre:
ISBN: 9264043462

A guide for constructing and using composite indicators for policy makers, academics, the media and other interested parties. In particular, this handbook is concerned with indicators which compare and rank country performance.

Private Lives and Public Policies

Private Lives and Public Policies
Author: Panel on Confidentiality and Data Access
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 261
Release: 1993-01-15
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9780309086516

Americans are increasingly concerned about the privacy of personal data--yet we demand more and more information for public decision making. This volume explores the seeming conflicts between privacy and data access, an issue of concern to federal statistical agencies collecting the data, research organizations using the data, and individuals providing the data. A panel of experts offers principles and specific recommendations for managing data and improving the balance between needed government use of data and the privacy of respondents. The volume examines factors such as the growth of computer technology, that are making confidentiality an increasingly critical problem. The volume explores how data collectors communicate with data providers, with a focus on informed consent to use data, and describes the legal and ethical obligations data users have toward individual subjects as well as toward the agencies providing the data. In the context of historical practices in the United States, Canada, and Sweden, statistical techniques for protecting individuals' identities are evaluated in detail. Legislative and regulatory restraints on access to data are examined, including a discussion about their effects on research. This volume will be an important and thought-provoking guide for policymakers and agencies working with statistics as well as researchers and concerned individuals.

The Politics of Numbers

The Politics of Numbers
Author: William Alonso
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Total Pages: 491
Release: 1987-09-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1610440021

The Politics of Numbers is the first major study of the social and political forces behind the nation's statistics. In more than a dozen essays, its editors and authors look at the controversies and choices embodied in key decisions about how we count—in measuring the state of the economy, for example, or enumerating ethnic groups. They also examine the implications of an expanding system of official data collection, of new computer technology, and of the shift of information resources into the private sector. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Census Series

The Aging Population in the Twenty-First Century

The Aging Population in the Twenty-First Century
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 1988-02-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309038812

It is not news that each of us grows old. What is relatively new, however, is that the average age of the American population is increasing. More and better information is required to assess, plan for, and meet the needs of a graying population. The Aging Population in the Twenty-First Century examines social, economic, and demographic changes among the aged, as well as many health-related topics: health promotion and disease prevention; quality of life; health care system financing and use; and the quality of careâ€"especially long-term care. Recommendations for increasing and improving the data availableâ€"as well as for ensuring timely access to themâ€"are also included.

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010
Author: Census Bureau
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Total Pages: 1008
Release: 2009-12
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9780160838842

The 129th edition of the Statistical Abstract continues a proud tradition of presenting a comprehensive and useful portrait of the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. The 2010 edition provides: More than 1,300 tables and graphs that cover a variety of topics such as religious composition of the U.S. population, the amount of debt held by families, parent participation in school-related activities, federal aid to state and local governments, types of work flexibility provided to employees, energy consumption, public drinking water systems, and suicide rates by sex and country. Expanded guide to other sources of statistical information both in print and on the Web. Listing of metropolitan and micropolitan areas and their population. Book jacket.

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2012

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2012
Author: Census Bureau
Publisher: www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK
Total Pages: 1024
Release: 2011-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781780394237

The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the standard summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. It is designed to serve as a convenient volume for statistical reference and as a guide to other statistical publications and sources. The latter function is served by the introductory text to each section, the source note appearing below each table, and Appendix I, which comprises the Guide to Sources of Statistics, the Guide to State Statistical Abstracts, and the Guide to Foreign Statistical Abstracts.