This is a session of Topic 5: Statistics education in the disciplines and the workplace

Evidence-based policy making

Organizer

• Steve MacFeely (Ireland)

Abstract

“The key to good decision making is not knowledge, it is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter” — Gladwell

National Statistical Institutes, Central Banks and other institutional data providers are typically mandated to collect, compile and disseminate information on the general conditions of their respective nations. But as societies and economies have become more globalised and complex, official statistics, in order to properly measure social and economic transactions have unavoidably become more complex in parallel. The result: good quality but impenetrable statistical products that often leave a confused public in their wake.

It has long been understood that the availability of good quality information should lead to better policies decisions and outcomes and improve transparency and accountability. But if user communities do not fully understand the complexities, nuances and limitations of the data, then the risks of misinterpretation increase, undermining the very idea of evidence informed policy.

This session will examine case studies from around the global statistical, banking and institutional systems, where various national and international institutes have either on their own or in collaboration with academic institutes, developed educational programmes to improve statistical literacy and support evidence informed policy formulation and evaluation.

Papers