Driving data-driven policy with the National Statistical Institute

NAME a major area of public policy that is currently being grappled with and you will find the need for up-to-date and accurate data at the heart of it.

Whether it is the response to the covid19 pandemic, analysis of the deficiencies of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) or the drawing up of fiscal plans and economic policies ahead of the October 5 budget, information is key in determining the way forward and in assessing what works and what does not.

And yet, whether this country makes full use of data-driven approaches is questionable.

Next month, World Statistics Day will be observed yet again. As was the case last year, this occasion will come as plans to overhaul the Central Statistical Office (CSO) remain in limbo.

Legislation which was supposed to reform the CSO – the National Statistical Institute (NSI) of TT Bill 2018 – remains before a parliament committee. That legislation was meant to usher in a new era for data collection and management, transforming the CSO into a body with the autonomy and authority to coordinate national statistical systems in accordance with best international standards.

Ahead of next month’s budget, businesses are once more calling for better data moving forward.

The American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) this month flagged the important roles played in the economy by data analytics, data interoperability and data-driven decision-making.

“Deficiencies in data collection and reporting were highlighted as one of the primary factors affecting the country’s credit rating,” Amcham said. “The National Statistical Institute is therefore a critical component of effective planning for the future.”

Even outside of the corporate sector, there is a clamour for better information in relation to public policy issues such as education reform.

Examining the SEA, Newsday columnist Professor Ramesh Deosaran recently lamented the lack of rigour in the analysis of the complex class factors in play due to the lack of statistics.

“Compared to the US, England and Europe, our ministry of education suffers from an impoverishment of reliable data on students’ performance and socio-economic background,” he said. “Without these numbers, how will you tackle educational inequity? There is a severe political aversion to research and data collection.”

But if there is aversion to research and data collection, there has also been downright neglect of the CSO in the past.

In 2013, the CSO’s building at Independence Square was closed down (and later demolished) for health and safety reasons. In 2015, it acquired new facilities at Frederick Street, Port of Spain and one year later the Government promised reform. That process remains outstanding.

Getting the NSI operable is important in order to best know where to devote resources and how to stimulate growth especially given the urgent need for economic restructuring.

Additionally, data is the bedrock of the digital economy, which is something we’re supposed to be moving toward with a digital transformation ministry.

The available data suggests the time has come for the NSI to return to the legislative agenda.