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A Global Project on Measuring A Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societiesthe Progress of Societies
OECD World Forum on OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and PolicyStatistics, Knowledge and Policy
Jon Hall - [email protected] Hall - [email protected]
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OverviewOverview
Community indicators - why do we need them?
A Statistics, Knowledge and Policy World Forum
Measure and fosteringMeasuring ^ the Progress of Societies
What’s next? – Towards a 2007 World Conference
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GoalsGoals
To ensure decisions are taken on the basis of evidence, not anecdote or prejudice
To improve the way our democracies function – so that decision-makers focus their efforts on the things that are seen as most important
Statistics Knowledge Policy
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From the Comptroller General of the USA
"Key national indicators can help us to better understand which programs, policies, functions, and activities are working and which are not. When seen in the aggregate and as part of a broader portfolio, key national indicators can provide a fuller and fairer view of how well a nation is doing as well as whether and, if so, how its political leaders are planning for the future. Such information can educate policymakers and the public about the appropriateness, affordability, and sustainability of a nation’s current path.
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From the Comptroller General of the USA
Key national indicators can help elected officials make tough but necessary policy choices including facilitating better targeting of government actions while ensuring long-term fiscal, social and environmental sustainability as well as the intergenerational equity of existing and proposed government policies and programs.
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From the Comptroller General of the USA
There’s simply no substitute for understanding the big picture — that is, the position and progress of a nation as a whole. The challenge and the opportunity before us is to build sophisticated information resources and key indicator systems that yield vital insights that transcend specific economic sectors, public and private institutions, and national borders.
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From the Comptroller General of the USA
There are many areas in which the stakes are high and better knowledge is needed. In the case of the United States, these areas include ensuring fiscal sustainability, enhancing homeland security, stimulating economic growth, creating productive and fulfilling jobs, improving education and innovation, delivering quality and affordable health care, strengthening competitiveness, protecting the environment, and promoting quality of life.“David M. Walker, 2005
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What problems need to be fixed?What problems need to be fixed?
Statistics are information, but “information is not knowledge”
Problem 1: Information overload Problem 2: Use, misuse and abuse of statistics
I saw some statistics which show the bad performance of our school system. I do not know if they are true or
not and I do not care. However, I decided to
address this important issue
“Today we are bombarded by
information” Jean-Claude Trichet
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Problems to be fixedProblems to be fixed
Citizens: “people often use ideology as a short-cut heuristic for deciding what position to take, when properly informing oneself is difficult“ (Blinder and Krueger, 2004)
Businesses: New economy “bubble” started with public statements based on wrong information about the importance of Internet and e-commerce: “Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days (2000); “E-commerce: a digital tsunami (1997)
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So ….So ….
No longer enough to produce statistics and throw them over the fence into the “real” world
We need to turn them into knowledge (hence policy) And so increase the quantity and quality of evidence-
based decision making Directly – by giving policy makers the knowledge they
need Indirectly – by giving the public the facts about how their
society is doing so holding the policy makers accountable
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Indicator Systems Can Help …Indicator Systems Can Help … “By adopting key indicator systems, we will be
able to generate quality information that can help individuals, institutions and nations accelerate progress and make better choices” (David M. Walker)
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Indicator Systems Can Help…Indicator Systems Can Help…
Tremendous interest around the world at all levels of government …
… and all sectors of society In measuring progress (or sustainability, quality
of life, wellbeing) To enhance democracy … … enhance decision making … … and so generate progress
If the GDP is up, why is America
down?
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… … And So Can The OECDAnd So Can The OECD “International organisations, like the OECD,
have to create global networks to allow communities to discuss, share knowledge and identify best practices” (Donald J. Johnston)
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So…..So…..
We think indicator systems are worthwhile for many reasons. But what do we want to do about it?
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Why a World Forum?Why a World Forum?
Much work underway, but no coordination And new challenges confront government Globalisation means progress requires international
co-operation if it is to be measured and fostered Civil Society is putting pressure on governments to
change the way they work with them No forum (as yet) to discuss all this
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Mission StatementMission Statement
The Statistics, Knowledge, Policy World Forum exists to foster the development of sets of key economic, social and environmental indicators and their use to inform and promote evidence-based decision-making within and across the public, private and citizen sectors, at sub-national, national and international levels. The Forum will be open to all sectors of society, building both on good
practice and innovative research work, organised by the OECD in co-operation with national and international organisations.
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The First World Forum: Palermo 2004The First World Forum: Palermo 2004
Keynote speeches by David M. Walker, Comptroller General of
the US Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the
European Central Bank Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General of
the OECD Heads of the US, Irish, Italian and
Australian Statistical Offices
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The First World Forum: Palermo 2004The First World Forum: Palermo 2004 540 people in attendance representing 43
countries Media, academia, civil society,
government, the private sector Followed by 5,000 people via ‘Web cast’
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The Forum addressed key issues for the The Forum addressed key issues for the development of modern democracies:development of modern democracies:
The transparency and accountability of public policies;
Our capacity for understanding the characteristics and the evolution of our economies and societies;
The role of statisticians, media, civil society, etc. in contributing to the development of a common facts-based knowledge among citizens;
The measurement of overall progress of a country/region /community.
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Outcomes of the First World ForumOutcomes of the First World Forum
Decisions are increasingly based on statistical information
The demand for measuring progress comes from society
There is no unique way to develop “key indicators”, nor a unique set of indicators
The success of an initiative requires involving various sectors of society in a co-operative effort
International comparisons are important - they put the results in the right context and can push poor performers to improve
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Outcomes of the first World ForumOutcomes of the first World Forum
The Forum asked the OECD to: launch a medium-term process on key indicators,
through electronic discussion groups, specialised workshops, etc.;
organise a second World Forum
To respond to this request, the OECD has: Developed the OECD Factbook; Designed an horizontal project on “Indicators for
measuring progress and indicators for policy making”;
Begun preparing a second World Forum.
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Want to know more?
The Proceedings are available for free online. The highlights are on the Forum website at
www.oecd.org/oecdworldforum
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Bellagio:Measuring the Progress of Societies
•March 2006 in Bellagio, Italy at the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Centre
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Who was there? Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD Harvey Fineberg, President, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of the
US David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the USA Ken Prewitt, Professor of Public Affairs, Columbia University Chris Hoenig, Director of Strategy, IBM Simon Briscoe, Statistics Editor, Financial Times Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Executive Board Member, ECB François Bourguigon, Chief Economist, World Bank Bruno Rebelle, Director, Greenpeace International Paul Cheung, Chief Statistician, UN Judith Randel, Founder, Development Initiatives Ignazio Visco, Central Manager for International Affairs, Bank of Italy Key OECD people – Jean-Philippe Cotis, John Martin, Richard Manning,
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Outcomes of the Meeting
Able to bring various groups to a consensus – and develop a mission statement.
Consensus to use the Forum as a place to debate the meaning of progress.
Desire to use the Forum to replace the MDGs which will expire in 2015.
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Second World Forum We expect that the Forum will draw a very
diverse audience (800 participants):– From multiple sectors and professions– From multiple countries at various levels of
development– With different levels of experience related to
the topic The Forum will offer:
– Plenary sessions– Parallel specialised sessions– Opportunity for information sharing and
training on development of indicators
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Second World Forum
Goals of the Forum Create an “experience” that can stimulate further
interactions between participants Provide suggestions for future OECD work Promote the role of OECD as key “pathfinder”
and knowledge builder in the international arena
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Second World Forum
Speakers should include The Turkish PM, the
World Bank’s Chief Economist, European Commissioners, the Deputy SG of the UN, the OECD’s Secretary General …
The agenda will consider … The meaning of progress The importance of statistics, knowledge and
policy The role of international organisations in
measuring and fostering progress And key policy issues
Climate Change, Health, Aging, the Brain Drain, Biodiversity Loss, Financial Security and
Stability, Globalisation,
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Partners and sponsors
Building a strong support base The project is now being run officially in cooperation with the
UN, the World Bank and the European Commission and in association with PARIS 21 Support for the project from the ABS and IBM Support for events from the Korean National Statistics Office,
TURKSTAT and the Turkish State Planning Organisation Seeking to expand the support base
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On the Road to Istanbul Via Milan Regional “pre-conferences”
Colombia
KoreaQatar
Rwanda
MilanIstanbul
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OECD horizontal project on indicatorsAims: The 3Ds
Development: Foster the improvement of existing sets of OECD indicators and develop new ones;
Dissemination: Improve the dissemination of OECD indicators and make them more accessible;
Decision-making: make indicators more useful for governments, businesses, individuals;
And improve the coherence of OECD statistics and indicators
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The horizontal project on indicators
1. Development of indicators: How are indicator sets developed both within the
OECD and the Member Countries? What technical and political challenges were faced and how were they overcome?
How to measure overall progress/ wellbeing, or new cross-cutting aspects thereof?
Are there key measurement issues common to various emerging domains (assets, etc.)?
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The horizontal project on indicators
2. Dissemination of indicators to policy makers and to the public:
How can new ICT tools be used to help ensure that indicator sets reach - and have an impact on - the chosen audience?
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The horizontal project on indicators
3. Decision making: Does the availability of indicators make a
difference in decision-making? How are indicators used by policy-makers, civil
society, or the general public for their decision-making?
How can international indicators influence national decision-making processes? e.g., can we draw lessons about why indicators such as PISA have had such an impact?