Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Sixth Edition

Publicly available statistics from government agencies that are credible, relevant, accurate, and timely are essential for policy makers, individuals, households, businesses, academic institutions, and other organizations to make informed decisions. Even more, the effective operation of a democratic system of government depends on the unhindered flow of statistical information to its citizens.

In the United States, federal statistical agencies in cabinet departments and independent agencies are the governmental units whose principal function is to compile, analyze, and disseminate information for such statistical purposes as describing population characteristics and trends, planning and monitoring programs, and conducting research and evaluation. The work of these agencies is coordinated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Statistical agencies may acquire information not only from surveys or censuses of people and organizations, but also from such sources as government administrative records, private-sector datasets, and Internet sources that are judged of suitable quality and relevance for statistical use. They may conduct analyses, but they do not advocate policies or take partisan positions. Statistical purposes for which they provide information relate to descriptions of groups and exclude any interest in or identification of an individual person, institution, or economic unit.

Four principles are fundamental for a federal statistical agency: relevance to policy issues, credibility among data users, trust among data providers, and independence from political and other undue external influence. Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Sixth Edition presents and comments on these principles as they've been impacted by changes in laws, regulations, and other aspects of the environment of federal statistical agencies over the past 4 years.

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• Part I: Introduction
• Background
• Definition of a Federal Statistical Agency
• Establishment of a Federal Statistical Agency
• Brief History of the U.S. Federal Statistical System
• Valuing Federal Statistics
• References for Part I
• Part II: Principles for a Federal Statistical Agency
• Principle 1: Relevance to Policy Issues
• Principle 2: Credibility among Data Users
• Principle 3: Trust among Data Providers
• Principle 4: Independence from Political and Other Undue External Influence
• References for Part II
• Part III: Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency
• Practice 1: A Clearly Defined and Well-Accepted Mission
• Practice 2: Necessary Authority to Protect Independence
• Practice 3: Use of Multiple Data Sources for Statistics That Meet User Needs
• Practice 4: Openness about Sources and Limitations of the Data Provided
• Practice 5: Wide Dissemination of Data
• Practice 6: Cooperation with Data Users
• Practice 7: Respect for the Privacy and Autonomy of Data Providers
• Practice 8: Protection of the Confidentiality of Data Providers' Information
• Practice 9: Commitment to Quality and Professional Standards of Practice
• Practice 10: An Active Research Program
• Practice 11: Professional Advancement of Staff
• Practice 12: A Strong Internal and External Evaluation Program
• Practice 13: Coordination and Collaboration with Other Statistical Agencies
• References for Part III
• Appendixes
• Appendix A: Legislation and Regulations That Govern Federal Statistics
• Appendix B: Organization of the Federal Statistical System
• Committee on National Statistics