What does an independent official statistical agency mean in practice

摘要

The paper will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of having an official statistical agency that is independent of Government. It will explain why the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses. There will be some discussion of the institutional place of the official statistical agency and the key principles of enabling legislation. The paper will then discuss what it means in practice to be an independent official statistical agency. What are the main principles and practices that need to be followed? It will finish with a number of scenarios that challenge the realisation of being an independent official statistical agency.