18. Round Table on Business Survey Frames
Beijing, China, October 17-22 2004
Session 3: Administrative and Statistical Units
Session Leaders
ˇˇ- Peter Schmidt, Federal Statistical Office of Germany (DESTATIS)
- Giuseppe Garofalo, National Statistical Institute of Italy (ISTAT)
Call for Papers
Administrative and statistical units have been topics of several Round Tables in the past, f. e. on the last Round Table in Rome. One of the conclusions of this session has been that, although there have been undertaken intensive efforts for harmonisation (especially in the EU), the need for harmonisation still exists. Both the applied statistical units and the definition of statistical units differ.
Comparing data among countries is a fundamental problem given the increasing international economic integration. One of the main problem in comparing data relies on the use of statistical units differently defined in the countries. Even if a lot of efforts have been made for harmonising definitions and concepts much more has to be done. A statistical definition has the scope to identify the essential characteristics of a given phenomenon that has to be analysed. Generally speaking, a statistical definition is "abstract", in the sense that the concepts characterising it are not directly observable. Everything that is observable is the result of rules (juridical, administrative, fiscal), defined for different scopes and functions. The concrete identification of the phenomenon to be analysed (enterprise) starting from the element that is directly observable (legal unit) depends from the ability to find common techniques (criteria, guidelines, statistical methodologies), which allow to connect the latter to the former. The lack (or the use of different criteria) of this link make the statistical definitions useless or biasing for the comprehension of statistical phenomena.
In Session 3 ˇ°Administrative and Statistical Unitsˇ± of the 18th Roundtable there is the necessity to continue the discussion on topics already faced during the last editions but addressing on practical experiences of countries:
We propose that the session will focus on the following topics:
- Experience with legal and administrative units: which forms of legal units do exist? In which cases and in which extent legal units are not appropriate for statistical units?
- Experience in the application of concepts for delineating statistical units:
o techniques for the identification, combination and integration of several legal units into one statistical unit (enterprise)
o benefits: impact on statistics by industry (homogeneity, data stability, data quality)?
o costs: efforts for NSI and for respondents?
o complex cases (i.e. ancillary units serving more then one enterprise, theoretical and practical aspects in the application of the concepts of vertical and horizontal integration) through the presentation of case studies
o theoretical and practical aspects in the application of the concepts of vertical and horizontal integration.
Peter Schmidt
Giuseppe Garofalo
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