Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Seventh Edition
2021

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Government statistics are widely used to inform decisions by policymakers, program administrators, businesses and other organizations as well as households and the general public. Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency, Seventh Edition will assist statistical agencies and units, as well as other agencies engaged in statistical activities, to carry out their responsibilities to provide accurate, timely, relevant, and objective information for public and policy use. This report will also inform legislative and executive branch decision makers, data users, and others about the characteristics of statistical agencies that enable them to serve the public good.

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138 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-68114-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68115-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25885

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Seventh Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Front Matter i-xviii
SUMMARY 1-6
PART I: Introduction 7-8
THE VALUE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES 9-16
FEDERAL STATISTICAL AGENCIES AND UNITS 17-20
THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS AND THIS REPORT 21-24
PART II: Principles 25-26
PRINCIPLE 1: Relevance to Policy Issues and Society 27-30
PRINCIPLE 2: Credibility Among Data Users and Stakeholders 31-34
PRINCIPLE 3: Trust Among the Public and Data Providers 35-38
PRINCIPLE 4: Independence from Political and Other Undue External Influence 39-42
PRINCIPLE 5: Continual Improvement and Innovation 43-46
PART III: Practices 47-48
Practice 1: A Clearly Defined and Well-Accepted Mission 49-52
Practice 2: Necessary Authority and Procedures to Protect Independence 53-58
Practice 3: Commitment to Quality and Professional Standards of Practice 59-62
Practice 4: Professional Advancement of Staff 63-66
Practice 5: An Active Research Program 67-74
Practice 6: Strong Internal and External Evaluation Processes for an Agency's Statistical Programs 75-78
Practice 7: Coordination and Collaboration with Other Statistical Agencies 79-84
Practice 8: Respect for Data Providers and Protection of Their Data 85-90
Practice 9: Dissemination of Statistical Products That Meet Users' Needs 91-94
Practice 10: Openness About Sources and Limitations of the Data Provided 95-98
REFERENCES 99-118
APPENDIX A: Legislation and Regulations That Govern Federal Statistics 119-164
APPENDIX B: Organization of the Federal Statistical System 165-188
APPENDIX C: Some International Frameworks and Guidance Relevant for Federal Statistics 189-204
Committee on National Statistics 205-205

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Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Seventh Edition (2021)

Chapter: PART I: Introduction

PART I
Introduction