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Combining research/analysis and statistical production
Economic and social information is not fully conveyed by statistics. Analysis and interpretation are needed as well.
INSEE publishes studies that present results drawn from the statistics it compiles: the Institute shows how the findings mesh with public concerns. The wealth of information gathered in censuses and surveys, or culled from administrative databases, provides abundant raw material.
In addition to publications of a national scope, INSEE, with its Regional Offices, is particularly well-positioned to conduct local studies.
Ministerial statistical offices have promoted a similar expansion of analytical work for the past three decades. At the outset, statistical analysis and production were handled by separate units. The present trend is to merge study units—whatever their type—with statistics-producing units. The division of labor in ministerial statistical offices is increasingly organized by field (wages, employment, social exclusion, etc.) rather than function (collection, studies, research, assessment). The offices are increasingly responsible for research and assessment. For example, statistics directorates in the health and welfare field have a recognized role in performing and commissioning studies. They promote, supervise, and coordinate research.
They sit on the boards of directors and scientific councils of leading research organizations.
When stipulated by law, they are in charge of drafting assessment reports for Parliament. One example is the monitoring of the implementation of new laws on flexible working hours and the shorter work week.
Statistics and studies
Studies prepared for general-information purposes—irrespective of whether they provide a historical perspective or a summary discussion of a given topic—obey the same logic of objectivity and impartiality as statistical production itself. They are enhanced by the use of statistical-mathematics techniques.
The combination of data-gathering and studies has a positive impact on the quality of data collection and dissemination.
The analysis of results is an opportunity to verify the precision and relevance of the figures. Analysis is also a way to stimulate interest in the results of the data-gathering operation among survey respondents and the public at large. It strengthens the credibility of official statistics and encourages survey response. These lessons have substantially influenced the administrative reforms of statistical offices and study units in recent years.
The "studies" function of government bodies is also designed to prepare and assess public policies. These policy-related studies—which encompass advisory work, implementation, and evaluation—must follow rules other than those applied to general-information studies. They require confidentiality at some stages and cannot be presented in the same context as general studies, for they are largely focused on calculation assumptions.
