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dc.titleWho wants to know?: The Political Economy of Statistical Capacity in Latin America
dc.contributor.authorDargent, Eduardo
dc.contributor.authorLotta, Gabriela
dc.contributor.authorMejía-Guerra, José Antonio
dc.contributor.authorMoncada, Gilberto
dc.contributor.orgunitInstitutional Capacity of the State Division
dc.coverageLatin America and the Caribbean
dc.date.available2018-05-21T00:00:00
dc.date.issue2018-05-21T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractWhy is there a disparity in the levels of technical and institutional capacity of national statistical offices (NSOs) in the Latin American and Caribbean region? There is a consensus about the importance of having up-to-date and quality official statistics. The data from censuses, household surveys, and administrative records are an essential input for decision-making, and for the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies in a country. However, this recognition of the value of statistics does not necessarily translate into greater support for the institutions responsible for their production. To understand the disparity in the capacity of NSOs, the publication provides an innovative approach: it uses the theoretical framework of the study of State capacity, and it develops a methodological framework to compare the political economy factors that influence statistical capacity, through case studies in ten countries of the region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. Additionally, the publication offers a series of recommendations to strengthen the capacity of NSOs in the region, which include the implementation of institutional reforms to modernize the legal frameworks that govern NSOs in order to grant them more autonomy and allow them to assume a coordinating role of the national statistical system; the greater use of administrative records; the promotion of a dialogue between the NSOs and the community of data users; the establishment of links with non-governmental and international actors; and adherence to international standards and best practices for the production and dissemination of official statistics.
dc.format.extent117
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0001119
dc.identifier.isbn9781597823098
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Who-wants-to-know-The-Political-Economy-of-Statistical-Capacity-in-Latin-America.pdf
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/spanish/document/A-quien-le-importa-saber-La-economia-politica-de-la-capacidad-estadistica-en-America-Latina.pdf
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/portuguese/document/A-quem-importa-saber-A-economia-politica-da-capacidade-estatistica-na-America-Latina.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.mediumAdobe PDF
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectStatistical Capacity
dc.subjectPolitical Economy
dc.subjectInstitutional Capacity
dc.subjectModernization of the State
dc.subjectNational Statistical System
dc.subject.jelcodeD73 - Bureaucracy • Administrative Processes in Public Organizations • Corruption
dc.subject.jelcodeH11 - Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government
dc.subject.jelcodeH83 - Public Administration • Public Sector Accounting and Audits
dc.subject.jelcodeP48 - Political Economy • Legal Institutions • Property Rights • Natural Resources • Energy • Environment • Regional Studies
dc.subject.jelcodeH77 - Intergovernmental Relations • Federalism • Secession
dc.subject.jelcodeN46 - Latin America • Caribbean
dc.subject.keywordsStatistical Capacity
dc.typeBooks
idb.identifier.pubnumberBooks
idb.operationRG-K1456
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