The Use of Non-Official Data in Imputations/Estimations of International Organizations

In a globalized world, more and more decisions taken by public and private agents are based, directly or indirectly, on international statistics. By putting the national data into perspective and/or complement them with additional indicators, data produced and disseminated by international statisticians are more than the sum of the parts published by the respective national statistical systems. The production of this "public good" has to adapt to the changing world, as demand for data evolves with the needs of human societies. In such a situation, the treatment of non-official data sources by international statisticians should be regarded as a potential source for supplementary value-added. The paper, which revisits a background document prepared for the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities in 2009, opens the debate by reviewing some of the technical and institutional issues. Rejecting any pretence of defining "best practices", it concludes that the decision and modalities depend upon the corporate culture and business model of each international organization