Session 21

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Title of session: Quality indicators

Chair: Agustín Cañada

Room: S3A Barbakan

Time: 10:30 - 12:00

Date: 29 June


Session 21 - papers & presentations


Presenting AuthorAbstract
Zsolt Völfinger
e-mail: zsolt.volfinger@ec.europa.eu
Title: <<< Quality indicators of the EuroGroups Register >>>
The EuroGroups Register (EGR) is a statistical business register focused on multinational enterprise groups active in Europe. To create the EGR, Eurostat collects input information on group members and on their relationships from the national statistical business registers of EU and participating European Free Trade Association countries and from commercial sources. After consolidation and validation, the register contains the global structure of the multinational enterprise groups. When compiling the EGR data of multiple sources has to be treated and processed. Different sources deliver complementary and partly conflicting information on the constituent units of the groups and their relationships. To monitor the EGR production and to evaluate the results of the register Eurostat developed a wide range of quality indicators for the EGR process.
The paper will present the system of the quality indicators built behind the EGR production process:
- input indicators to measure the completeness and consistency of the input data files;
- throughput indicators evaluating the data processing results in the different steps of the EGR production process;
- global output indicators measuring the completeness and consistency of EGR final data;
- micro-level output indicators comparing EGR data to official EU statistics on foreign affiliates
- definition of appropriate thresholds for the indicators;
- development of a composite indicator to measure and to report on the overall EGR quality.
The paper will also present how the EGR process is improved and which actions are planned based on the results of the EGR quality indicators. Comparison of the quality indicators for two consecutive EGR production cycles will be also presented.
Laurent Olislager
e-mail: laurent.olislager@ec.europa.eu
Title: <<< Assessing the uncertainties of statistical outputs: the case of purchasing power parities >>>
Purchasing power parities (PPPs) are indicators of price level differences across countries. They are used for a wide range of purposes. In the Eurostat-OECD PPP exercise, prices are collected via specifically-designed surveys, for a variety of products and services covering an important subset of economic activities. For each country and item, the average price of the item is compared to the prices of comparable items in other countries. PPPs are obtained by averaging all the bilateral price ratios for products and services grouped in pre-defined categories. Using weights from National Accounts, PPPs are aggregated up to the GDP level. The methodologies of the surveys are designed to guarantee comparability and reliability of the results, which are subject to a thorough validation process incorporating various quality measurements. However, due to the use of purposive sampling and the multilateral nature of PPPs, it is not possible to calculate precise error margins for PPPs. Experience suggests that differences between countries of over two percentage points are generally statistically significant. In this work, we aim at better characterizing the uncertainties of PPPs. We have carried out various sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of the results when subject to changes in the input data and/or implicit assumptions in the calculation. General trends confirm the high quality of the results and can contribute to an enhanced communication with stakeholders. Our results also allow to assess the relative impacts of the input data on the final results; it can contribute to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the production process, by helping in the optimization of the design and validation.
Luis Esteban Barbado Miguel
e-mail: esteban.barbado.miguel@ine.es
Title: <<< How much has national information changed in the Eurogroups Register? Some quality indicators in the scope of the ESBR Project >>>
The European System of Interoperable Business Registers (ESS.VIP.ESBRs) is a core Project of the VISION 2020. It aims to create a coordinated infrastructure of frames, serving as backbone for the production of high-quality business statistics in Europe. The Euro Groups Register (EGR) is the heart of the ESBRs system. The EGR contains structural information on multinational groups in the UE. It is managed by a cooperation model based on multiple integrations of microdata provided by Eurostat and the NSIs of European Member States and EFTA countries. The inherent complexity of the EGR business process and the need to reach a good level of stabilization, make the design of active quality policies needed. In fact, a specific Data Quality Program (DQP) is already in implementation phase. This context will reinforce the role of the EGR as the authoritative frame for globalization statistics in the ESS. This report takes the main elements stablished in the above mentioned DQP, but using an alternative approach. It provides some quantitative indicators reflecting the changes produced between the Spanish data provided in the EGR production cycle and the information finally registered in the global EGR frame. In addition, the relative importance of the changes produced and their accuracy are also explored, through specific desktop research. The final aim is to provide a wider statistical basis, helping to a better delineation of the priority quality actions for the EGR.
Biokou Mathieu Djayeola
e-mail: bdjayeola@worldbank.org
Title: <<< Building Sustainable International Statistical Products: Policies, Technology, and Quality Returns from the World Development Indicators >>>
The World Bank is a global leader in international development financing. Its World Development Indicators are the primary collection of development statistics including economic, social, and environment indicators compiled from officially-recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates relevant for the purposes of analytics, operational, and policy making decisions in international development arena. In this paper, we review major policy decisions, key investments in technological platforms, and best practices in quality management around the reputation of the World Development Indicators. These findings are presented with the prospects of assessing how international statistical organizations model high demand statistical products, gather resources for their production, and establish subsequent quality frameworks – including customer relations – needed for their sustainability. We explore how specifically tailored strategic positioning contributes to the development of an ecosystem of interrelated products, setting the highest standards for producers, brokers, and users of international development statistics. Finally, we discuss the economics of quality statistics management in an evolving technological environment.

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