Register-based Statistics (eBook)

Statistical Methods for Administrative Data

Anders Wallgren, Britt Wallgren (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2014 | 2. Auflage
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
978-1-118-85600-0 (ISBN)

Infos

This book provides a comprehensive and up to date treatment of  theory and practical implementation in Register-based statistics. It begins by defining the area, before explaining how to structure such systems, as well as detailing alternative approaches. It explains how to create statistical registers, how to implement quality assurance, and the use of IT systems for register-based statistics. Further to this, clear details are given about the practicalities of implementing such statistical methods, such as protection of privacy and the coordination and coherence of such an undertaking.

This edition offers a full understanding of both the principles and practices of this increasingly popular area of statistics, and can be considered a first step to a more systematic way of working with register-statistical issues. This book addresses the growing global interest in the topic and employs a much broader, more international approach than the 1^st edition. New chapters explore different kinds of register-based surveys, such as preconditions for register-based statistics and comparing sample survey and administrative data. Furthermore, the authors present discussions on register-based census, national accounts and the transition towards a register-based system as well as presenting new chapters on quality assessment of administrative sources and production process quality.

Autor

Anders Wallgren and Britt Wallgren, Statistics Sweden.

Textauszug

CHAPTER 2

The Nature of Administrative Data

Administrative data are data used to administer individual objects. Statistical data are data used to produce estimates for aggregates of units.

A national statistical office sometimes collects data on turnover and other economic variables for a sample survey of enterprises. The enterprises take data from their administrative registers and send them to the statistical office. For the enterprises, these data are administrative data; but for the statistical office, the same data are statistical data.

Administrative registers are used for administrative purposes in an administrative information system. An administrative register should contain all objects to be administered; the objects are identifiable and the variables in the register are used for administrative purposes. The register of all yearly income self-assessments from persons is an example of an administrative register that is maintained by the tax authorities. It is used to decide the income tax that should be paid by each individual person in the register. When this register is delivered to the statistical office it becomes a statistical register as it will now be used to produce estimates.

When we discuss quality issues, we distinguish between statistical data that are based on administrative registers and statistical data that have been collected for sample surveys or censuses by the statistical office.

2.1 Different kinds of administrative data

Data that have been collected or created by administrative authorities can be of different nature. Some data are actually statistical data, if the authority wants to produce its own statistics. For example, the Swedish Public Employment Service produces its own statistics on job seekers and some variables collected from the job seekers are actually statistical data.

Other kinds of variables are legally important – if you provide the wrong information for these, you have done something illegal and can be punished. Income assessments and tax returns are examples of this kind of data.

A third category of variables represents decisions made by an authority. For example, the Tax Board decides on taxable income and the amount of tax that should be paid; a court decides that a person is guilty of violating a certain law and should receive a specific punishment; social authorities decide that a family is entitled to receive some kind of benefit and set the amount of money they will receive.

Among these different kinds of administrative data, statistical data and data of no legal importance as a rule are of the lowest quality, while legally important data and decisions made by an authority are of the highest quality. The quality of administrative data is important for the individual’s rights and obligations in contrast to statistical data that do not have any consequences for the respondent.

We can take the administration in a manufacturing enterprise as an example of administrative data that are purely administrative in nature: A customer phones and asks if enterprise X can deliver a certain quantity of a certain commodity. How much will it cost and when can it be delivered? After negotiations, the following administrative data have been created:

Customer identity:

cccc

Item number:

aaaa

Quantity:

qqqq

Price:

pppp

Delivery date:

dddd

This kind of administrative data can be used afterwards for a register survey on sales. It should be observed that there is no measurement here and no collection of data – data are generated during the administrative process. A statistical measurement is of a quite different nature – the true values of the variables exist first, and then we measure and collect the data.

2.2 How are data recorded?

Three technical issues have consequences for the quality of administrative data:

– How are identity numbers and other identifying variables recorded?

– How are other variables recorded?

– Can data be revised?

Identity numbers can be handwritten by an employee at the administrative authority or by the person in contact with the authority. Quality will be low in both cases. A better alternative is to pre-print the identity number, name and address on the administrative form that is sent by mail to the person or enterprise from which information is requested. The best alternative is that the contact with the authority starts with an online identity check against a register that has identity number, name and address.

Example: Births are registered by midwives or doctors in some Latin American countries. A paper form with a pre-printed unique identity number of the birth is filled in by hand. Many errors are found regarding the mother’s identity number, name and address.

Example: Tax forms for yearly income tax of persons are sent by post to all potential tax payers in Sweden. The identity number, name and address are from the National Tax Board’s Population Register that is updated every day.

Example: When you contact a Swedish hospital (private or public), a nurse checks your identity number online against a copy of the National Tax Board’s Population Register. Diagnosis and treatment are recorded together with this identity number. This identity number and the county where the patient is registered as permanently living are essential for economic transactions.

Other variables than identities can be recorded on a paper form; but the best alternative is recording by a PC-system or internet system that checks the data as they are recorded. Errors are corrected in this way and further editing will be easier.

Taxpayers must be allowed to make corrections and send in revised tax forms. All kinds of tax reports contain such corrections that can be sent to the tax authorities over a period that can be quite long. The statistical office should analyse the inflow of these corrections for each source and determine a point in time when statistics production should start. Corrections delivered after that time will be disregarded at the statistical office.

2.3 Administrative and statistical information systems

Using administrative data for statistical purposes is not something specific to national statistical offices. It is also common practice in large enterprises and organisations. Administrative systems are generally used as sources of statistical information and there is no major difference between the following enterprise example and register-based statistics at a national statistical office:

– Statistics on staff and salaries within an enterprise can be produced using the personnel management system.

– Population and income statistics are produced at a statistical office using data from the National Tax Board’s tax collection system for population registration and tax assessment.

Register surveys have become increasingly common within enterprises and organisations. Knowledge about register systems, register-based statistics and register quality is needed not only within a national statistical office but also more generally. This is illustrated by the following extract from a job advertisement:

Market analyst

As an analyst in the marketing department, you will be an important cog in the wheel of our enterprise’s continued growth. You will manage and develop the use of one of the enterprise’s most valuable assets – our client register.

You will work with campaign analyses, drafting reports, segmenting and ensuring the quality of the register. You will maintain contact with external register systems and work closely with the marketing manager.

Certain information systems are built solely for statistical purposes, such as the Labour Force Survey, which are conducted in many countries. These systems can therefore be completely designed according to statistical principles.

Other information systems are used for administrative as well as statistical purposes, which can sometimes lead to conflicts with regard to the structure of the system. In general, these systems are primarily intended for administrative purposes and the statistical information is a by-product.

However, there are several differences between a pure administrative system and a pure statistical system. These two kinds of systems are compared below.

Different purposes

Information in an administrative system is used as a basis when taking administrative measures and decisions that will affect the objects in the system.

Example: A personnel management system is used to carry out salary payments every month. For each employee, a decision is made regarding how much should be paid for the specific month.

Information in a statistical system is used as the basis for analysis and drawing conclusions. These conclusions can serve as the basis for policy-related decisions.

Example: A statistical salary system is used to study salary structure. How has this changed? What are the differences in monthly salaries between different staff categories? This analysis could then involve a change in policy relating to salary issues, for example that women should be better paid.

Different roles for individual objects

In an administrative system, decisions are made and measures are taken with regard to individual objects. To...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.4.2014
• Reihe/Serie: Wiley Series in Survey Methodology
• Reihe/Serie: Wiley Series in Survey Methodology
• Reihe/Serie: Wiley Series in Survey Methodology
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Angewandte Mathematik
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Statistik
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Wahrscheinlichkeit / Kombinatorik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: administrative • Angewandte Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung u. Statistik • Annual • Applied Probability & Statistics • BASIC • Book • Finanz- u. Wirtschaftsstatistik • income • Introduction • Methoden der Daten- u. Stichprobenerhebung • Methods • New • preconditions • Public • Purpose • Register • registerbased statistics • Registers • Sample Surveys • statistical survey • Statistics • Statistics for Finance, Business & Economics • Statistik • Survey • Survey Research Methods & Sampling • Surveys • theory • Ways
• ISBN-10: 1-118-85600-7 / 1118856007
• ISBN-13: 978-1-118-85600-0 / 9781118856000