modernization and reengineering of the census of governments presented to the federal economic...
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Modernization and Reengineeringof the Census of Governments
Presented to the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee
Carma R. Hogue
Lisa M. Blumerman
Governments Division
December 17, 2010
Disclaimer: This presentation is released to inform interested parties of research and to encourage discussion of work in progress. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Introduction to Governments Division
• Main Purposes of Governments Division programs– Provide socio-economic statistics about governments
– Act as a public-sector counterpart to economic data of business, industry, and services
– Track activity of governments over time
• Response is voluntary
• Virtually no confidentiality restrictions
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Importance of the Data
• Our data tell the story of the fiscal welfare of federal, state, and local government
• Our data constitute 12 percent of Gross Domestic Product
• Our data are the only source of comprehensive, uniform statistics on governments – we are the gold standard
• Our data help policy makers formulate important, informed decisions
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Base Programs
• Census of Governments and related programs– Organizational Data – number of governments & character
– Employment Data – number of employees & payroll
– Finance Data – revenues, expenditures, debt, & assets
• Some of the oldest continuous data collections– First survey of State Government Finances, 1902
– “Modern day” Census of Governments, 1957
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Base ProgramsUS State County Place
Every 5 Years
Census of Governments X X X XNumber of Units,
Employment, FinanceAnnual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll
X X X X Employment, wages, etc.
Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances
X X X Revenue, expenditures, etc.
Annual Survey of State Government Finances
X X Revenue, expenditures, etc.
Consolidated Federal Funds Report
X X XFederal expenditures,
obligations, & contingent liabilities
Federal Aid to States Report X X Federal expendituresPublic Elementary-
Secondary Education Finance Survey
X X X X Revenue, expenditures, etc.
State and Local Government Public-Employee
Retirement System SurveyX X X X Contributions, assets, etc.
State Government Tax Collections Survey
X X Tax revenue
Quarterly Public-Employee Retirement Systems Survey
X Contributions, assets, etc.
Quarterly Tax Survey X X Tax revenueQuarterly
Annual
Frequency Survey/ProgramData Available For:
Data Items Included
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Reimbursable Programs
• Because of Governments Division’s expertise in the public sector, surveys are conducted on behalf of other agencies
• Historically, the surveys compliment the work of the base programs
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Reimbursable Programs
US State County Place
Academic Libraries Survey X XExpenditures, staffing,
circulation, etc.NCES - (Dept of
Education)Juvenile Residential Facility
CensusX X Facility characteristics OJJDP - (DOJ)
Annual Survey of Jails X X X Jails and inmates BJS - (DOJ)
Criminal Justice Expenditure and Employment Survey
X Finance and employment BJS - (DOJ)
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Health Insurance Cost
StudyX X X X
Health plans, premiums, benefits, and enrollment
AHRQ
National Public Education Financial Survey
X X X X Revenue, expendituresNCES - (Dept of
Education)
Non-fiscal surveys of the Common Core of Data
X XDirectory, membership,
teachers, staff, dropouts, graduates
NCES - (Dept of Education)
State Library Agencies Survey X XExpenditures, staffing,
governance, etc.Institute of Museum and Library Services
QuarterlyFederal Assistance Award
Data SystemX X X X
Federal expenditures or obligations.
OMB
Annual
Biennial
Frequency Survey/Program Data Available For: Data Items Included Sponsoring Agency
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State and Local Government Statistics at a Crossroads
• 2007 report issued by the Committee on National Statistics (CNStat)
• Suggested 21 recommendations for improving existing programs
• Working toward addressing the majority of recommendations by the 2012 Census of Governments
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Summary of CNStat Recommendations
CNStat Report Themes
• Data Quality, Relevance, and Utility
• Dissemination
• Timeliness
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CNStat Overarching Recommendation
• Recommendation 6-1: The Governments Division should include two tracks in its strategic plan: one track that plans for an environment of constrained resources and a second track that identifies ways to build support over time for enhancing the division’s data series and the information provided to users on the Census Bureau’s website.
• Progress Update:– Governments Division reorganized May 2009– Strategic Plan issued October 2009 and updated October
2010– Ensured transparency through website dedicated to progress
on government statistics programs
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The 3-Pronged Approach
•Data User Exchanges
•
•Research Program
•
•Modernization and Re-engineering
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CNStat Theme: Data Quality, Relevance, and Utility
• Recommendation: Get feedback from users
• Progress Update
– Made presentations to the Census Bureau’s Professional Advisory Committee, April 2010; Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, June 2010; National Association for Business Economics, November 2010
– Created the Outreach and Education Branch
– Increased our participation in user meetings; conducted Data User Workshops
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CNStat Theme: Dissemination
• Recommendation: Facilitate wider dissemination of products by issuing press releases; add value to existing data by providing simple derived measures; provide users with tools and documentation
• Progress Update:– Began regular press releases in October 2008 with the release
of 2007 Employment Census data– Introduced quarterly surveys to “Tip Sheets” and plan to
develop quarterly press releases– Introduced new analytical material to accompany releases– Redesigned the Website and introduced Build-A-Table – Plan to build stakeholder support and to educate constituents
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Build-A-Table
Select category
Select variables
Retrieve data
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CNStat Theme: Timeliness
• Recommendation: Research the benefits/costs of adopting earlier release procedures, i.e., releasing preliminary estimates or releasing estimates as they are compiled
• Progress Update:
– Currently reviewing existing processes and methods to determine where efficiencies can be made (reengineering efforts)
– Successful in moving up the release of several products
– Researching selective edits and new estimation methods to produce preliminary estimates
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Increased Timeliness of Quarterly Retirement Response Rates: 2nd Q. 2009 – 2nd Q. 2010
OriginalMailout
Original Public Data Release
(Week 17)
CurrentMailout
Current PublicData Release
(Week 15)
BEAPre-Release 1
BEAPre-Release 2
FederalReserve
Pre-Release
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Weeks After the End of the Calendar Quarter Reference Period
Res
po
nse
Rat
e (P
erce
nta
ge)
2009: 2nd Q.
2010: 1st Q.
2010: 2nd Q.
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CNStat Theme: Data Quality, Relevance, and Utility• Recommendation: Re-engineer the Quarterly Tax Survey
• Progress update: New methodologies and process improvements led to higher quality and more timely products for the Quarterly Tax Survey, specifically:
– New sampling, editing, imputation, and estimation methodologies established
– Questionnaire content revamped to increase relevance; forms fully tested
– For property tax component, bridge study released in September 2010
– For non-property component, new probability sample to be mailed in December 2010
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CNStat Theme: Data Quality, Relevance, and Utility
• Recommendation: Explore sound means of collecting data on tax valuation
• Progress update: Team formed to explore tax valuation data collection
– Conducted literature review of national assessment/sales ratio standards
– Determine if the measures fit current OMB and Census Bureau statistical standards
– Examine the quality of administrative records in a comparison study
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CNStat Theme: Data Quality, Relevance, and Utility
• Recommendation: Consider methods that borrow strength to better estimate state and local government statistics
• Progress update:
– New modified cut-off sampling procedure corrects effects of poor response from very small governments
– New decision-based estimation methodology that borrows strength from census year data to better estimate state and local government statistics
– Regular consultations with experts both internal and external to Census
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t
• Research projects (sample design, dashboards, “decision-based” estimation, small area estimation, nonresponse bias studies)
• Governments Division Report Series
– Available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/govern.html
• Training and development of staff through conference attendance, seminars, and courses
Research Program
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Governments Master Address File (GMAF) and Government Units Survey (GUS)
• Develop new GMAF to integrate all of the sampling frames
– Gathered requirements after assessing program needs
– Currently redesigning IT systems to ensure technical capabilities and full integration with surveys/programs
• Develop new GUS to improve coverage of 2012 Census of Governments and intercensal surveys
– Cognitive interviewing for GUS started in October with a second round completed in December
– Pretest of GUS scheduled for February
– Data collection will begin in October 2011
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Quality Improvement Program
• Goal of reaching governments in order to improve questionnaire design, non- response follow-up, and coverage
– Started “QuIP Trips” in August with a visit to state and local governments in Illinois; subsequent trips followed to Pennsylvania and New Jersey
– Prepared “state snapshots” to introduce data to local governments
– Visited local government leaders with positive results: new method for building our universe, information about births and deaths, knowledge of record keeping practices
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Next Steps on Modernization and Reengineering
• Continue involvement with the data user community
• Continue Quality Improvement Program – “QuIP Trips”
• Review and determine the content for the 2012 Census of Governments
• Revitalize our product line
• Modernize and reengineer systems based on the results of our research
• ADD SLIDE of WEB SITE
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Carma R. Hogue
Assistant Division Chief, Statistical Research & Methodology
Governments Division
301-763-4882
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