Courrier des Statistiques

Published three times a year by INSEE but interministerial in content, this magazine (60-100 pages) has been reporting the key events, developments, and debates in official French and international statistics since 1977. Beyond the community of statisticians, it is aimed at all professionals in the field of economic and social quantitative information, and-even more widely at-readers interested in the world of statistics.

The Courrier focuses on the assignments and projects of official statistical agencies, and-more specifically-on the resources and methods implemented for that purpose. Readers will find little in the way of statistical studies and findings per se: many other publications do so, especially at INSEE. But what the Courrier does offer is comprehensive accounts of the "how and why" of the statistical operations that produce those results-plus many general articles about statistical concepts and tools.

Two abiding concerns of the Courrier are lucid argument and clear language-including in the most methodologically-oriented articles. The key aim is to cut through the technicalities and offer an overview of the topic. Readers who want to find out more can follow up the many bibliographical references provided.

Since 1995, the Courrier has also been publishing an annual issue in English (Courrier des statistiques, English series), containing a selection of articles previously published in French.