Upgrading the statistical system of Cuba: The role of the other entities producing official statistics

Abstract

Official statistics constitute an essential public good, ensuring that the different actors in the government and society have the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions, implement policy actions, and measure their results. In this context, all components of the national statistical system should have sufficient capacities to address the increasing demands of statistical information and to implement new methods for its production and dissemination. Cuba is currently undertaking a modernisation process of its National Statistical System, under the leadership of the National Statistics and Information Office, which aims to tackle the critical aspects affecting the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, as a result of the quality limitations of the statistical processes they implement. The objective of this work is to elaborate a statistical process management model for the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, which should take into account the organisational and methodological principles that derive from national and international standards. The implementation of this statistical process management model can contribute to the fulfilment of the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.

Keywords

Official statistics statistical process GSBPM national statistical system

1. Introduction

Official statistics are recognised as one of the essential components of the knowledge infrastructure of each country. They inform decisions made by governments, businesses, communities, individuals, and the international community. In this sense, they contribute to the formulation of policies and investment decisions as well as to the measurement of their results.¹

According to Veloso et al. 2021,² the production of official statistics is dependent on all the institutions that are part of the national statistical system and that provide statistical information complying with the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. To this end, also the production process of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics (OEPOS) should comply with national and international standards.

In the current context, as society has become over time the main user of official statistics, the modernisation of statistical production is a priority to meet the growing societal demands. To this end, improving the management of the national statistical system implies the necessary updating of its legal basis, as well as the adoption of appropriate standards for the collection, processing, and dissemination of data, as well as the protection of confidentiality. This implies, on one side, better institutional coordination and, on the other, the implementation of effective quality assurance mechanisms across the different institutions.^1,2

The organisational structure of the national statistical system varies according to the country considered, reflecting its history and evolution based on user needs, technological advances, and institutional changes. In this regard, in addition to the NSOs, the functions and responsibilities of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics (OEPOS), such as central banks and ministries, may vary depending on the provisions of the national statistical law.³

While the business structure of the production process of official statistics is moving away from the traditional silo approach, depending increasingly on multiple data producers, data exchange of confidential information between different data providers becomes more and more important. In this context, the characteristics and boundaries of the national statistical system should be clearly identified. In parallel, the use of the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (“GSBPM”) in statistical offices can enable describing the entire cycle of a statistical production process, simplifying its analysis, understanding, and maintenance in the face of staff turnover, and ensuring at the same time the institutionalisation of knowledge and transparency.

In Cuba, the evolution of official statistics and its national statistical system is associated with the specific social and institutional organisation that has existed throughout its history. In this context, requirements and information needs have been set, as well as the positions and priorities of the government in the establishment and management of the National Statistical System (SEN). In particular, the National Statistics and Information Office (ONEI) is the institution responsible for the coordination of the SEN and, in turn, for the coordination of the production of official statistics.

Based on the classifications established by Veloso et al.,² the Cuban statistical system is a decentralised system with the following structure:

ONEI, with a head office and local offices distributed in the 15 provinces and 168 municipalities throughout the country;

Ministries and national entities that produce statistics on the basis of the information provided by local government entities that participate in the statistical production process.

The Cuban Statistical System comprises three subsystems that capture, process, and disseminate distinct types of statistical information. Based on the assigned roles and responsibilities, the National Statistical Information Subsystem (SIEN) produces general indicators at the national level; the Complementary Statistical Information Subsystem(SIEC) produces data in the statistical domains under the mandate of the line ministries; and the Territorial Statistical Information Subsystem(SIET) meets the demands of local governments (see Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Composition of the national statistical system of Cuba. Source: own construction.

This paper describes the activities undertaken for the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the National Statistical System for the period 2021–2025, which aims to develop the conditions for the establishment of an institutional environment conducive to the implementation of the “Commitment to Quality” principle. The strategy includes the reorganisation of the National Statistical System, the institutional strengthening of ONEI, and the transformation of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics.

The Strategy, which is based on national and international foundations, will also ensure the modernization of the NSS as a necessary response to the growing demand for statistical information, both in terms of coverage of new and emerging issues and level of data disaggregation.

Among the national foundations, Article 53 of the Constitution of the Republic of 2019 establishes the right of individuals to request and receive truthful, objective, and timely information from the Cuban government and to access information generated by government institutions.⁴ Moreover, critical national documents include the Socioeconomic Policy Guidelines of the Communist Party and the Cuban Revolution,⁵ the National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030, and the policies approved for the structural changes of the business environment. In addition, a process for the implementation of innovation-orientated management practices in public administration institutions,⁶ including ONEI, is being implemented.

As for the international foundations, the Strategy is inspired by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and by the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.

In order to realise this new strategy, ONEI should carry out profound organisational transformations and process innovations, including the modernisation of the collection, processing, and dissemination of economic, social, demographic, and environmental statistics. In addition, ONEI needs to optimise its statistical processes by incorporating new data sources and innovative statistical methods, including data science approaches.

In order to this new strategy, ONEI will need to implement the necessary organisational and process innovations, including the modernisation of the collection, processing, and dissemination of economic, social, demographic, and environmental statistics. This modernisation process will foresee the use of new data sources and innovative methods for statistical production, with the use of new technologies throughout the statistical production process, as well as the adoption of data science approaches.

2. Results of the evaluation of the other entities producing official statistics

One key component of the strategy has been the evaluation of the current state of the Complementary Statistical Information Subsystem managed by the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, which has allowed to identify its main strengths and limitations. As a result, the proposal of a new management model that enables these entities to modernise their organisational, methodological, and technological processes has been developed, as well as an action plan to carry it out.

This evaluation has applied a variety of research methods, including a review of the existing legislation, the analysis of the current situation and its causes, and expert interviews.

The legislation review was carried out with the objective of assessing the clarity of the definition of the national statistical system, as well as of the legal provisions establishing roles and functions of the different institutions that constitute it. The main finding of this exercise is that the boundaries of the National Statistical System and the roles assigned to the institutions that are comprised in it are not precisely defined. In the current legal framework, Decree-Law 6/2020 of the Government Information System⁷ defines the National Statistical System simply as “a set of rules and procedures of a general nature, as a single methodological framework, which coherently integrates government statistical information, thus allowing its international comparability.” The national statistical system is not considered in an integrated way, connecting the actors in charge of the production of official statistics, rather the three subsystems are considered separately one from another. As a consequence, all activities that integrate the production of statistics in the different domains are not covered, limiting therefore the possibility of satisfying the demands of new statistical information and the implementation of quality standards for its production.

The empirical research exercise analysed the Complementary Statistical Information Subsystem, whose data are regularly produced by the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics. The analysis focused not only on their organisational structure and information system but also on the methods, classifications, and standards applied, as well as on their programme of work, so as to check the presence of possible overlaps with the statistical information produced by ONEI. The analysis has also taken into account the results of the audits carried out by ONEI in compliance with its mandate under Law 158 of 2022, “On the Controller General of the Republic of Cuba and the superior control of public funds and administrative management.” The main findings of these analyses confirm the inadequacies and limitations of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics listed below:

Identification of duplication of SIEN data outputs, particularly those produced by ONEI, or by the SIEC.

Lack of standardisation of the statistical processes and absence of documentation of the statistical methodologies used by these processes.

Insufficient automation of statistical processes and insufficient IT infrastructures employed.

Insufficient statistical knowledge, which influences the way variables and indicators are interpreted.

Limited availability of human resources and high variability in the level of specialisation of technical personnel in charge of statistical processes.

High response burden due to the number of forms and data requested.

Insufficient use of administrative records.

The identified elements allow the elaboration of an “Ishikawa diagram” that shows the causes of the limitations and inefficiencies of the SIEC, outlining where quality control issues arise at the different stages of a statistical process and determining which resources are required to address those issues. Consequently, organisational, methodological, structural, and technological transformations are needed to comply with the desired standards, in line with the SEN modernisation process.

By applying an impact-weighted matrix together with a Pareto diagram, the most important critical factors to achieve the necessary transformations of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, as part of the modernisation of Cuba's statistical system, were identified:

Adoption of a National Quality Assurance Framework for the implementation of a quality management system for official statistics.

Elaboration of a national statistical plan.

Strengthening of the statistical knowledge and capacity.

Recruitment of new staff and development of a national training strategy.

Availability of the required technological resources.

By putting all the analytical elements together, the diagnosis of the limitations and the identification of the critical actions needed to address them, a model for the production of official statistics by the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics is derived.

3. General management model for the other entities producing official statistics

The model for the production of official statistics by the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics is developed in accordance with international standards and good practices, following in particular the GSBPM standard and planning for the implementation of regular improvement actions based on the three pillars of quality:

Management of the institutional environment.

Management of the statistical process.

Management of the statistical output.

The GSBPM standard can be adapted to the specific characteristics of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics of Cuba, allowing progress in the modernisation of the SEN.

According to Delgado,⁸ innovation is any practical change introduced in an existing or new product, service, process, or organisation with the purpose of generating results consistent with previously identified goals. The implementation of the above-mentioned Socioeconomic Policy Guidelines can also be seen as an innovation project; therefore, this study and its proposals are appropriate. On the other hand, the innovation of statistical systems is associated with the design, collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination of new or improved data, the introduction of new technologies, and the implementation of approved best practices. Innovation also implies the adoption of new or improved strategic management practices to obtain better quality statistical information to support the design and implementation of public policies.

The existing international consensus on statistical quality covers the management of statistical institutions and their statistical processes, as well as the associated goods and services. In this context, the organisational culture should be permeated by the concept of statistical quality, and a quality monitoring system should be in place to help to measure and, in case of deviations, correct and permanently improve the existing statistical production processes. This is why this approach is essential for the innovation proposed in this study, which responds to the information demands of national and international users.

The proposal presented here is based on the principles established in the latest version of the Handbook on Management and Organization of National Statistical Systems,⁹ and in particular on the following:

Statistical systems should be defined in broad terms, and include all the providers of statistical products (the “Producer of Statistical Information”), the users and key stakeholders. Each official statistics product should be allocated to a specific producer.

Each statistical producer should be free from any conflict of interest that may arise from parallel non-statistical tasks under the responsibility of its oversight institution, such as administrative decisions affecting individuals or companies.

Each producer of statistical information must have the knowledge and authority to make the necessary adaptations to the data collected by its oversight institution for administrative purposes in order to maintain this data as a source of objective information.

Each producer of statistical information must have the necessary financial and technical resources to implement its statistical programme of work.

The Generic Statistical Business Process Model is applicable to all producers of official statistics.

Each producer of statistical information shall be subject to a periodic evaluation of its performance by the competent NSO.

Moreover, the production model is designed with the purpose of improving the management of the statistical process by the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, and for this purpose the following requirements must be met:

The adoption and implementation of the Generic Statistical Business Process Model, which includes all the stages of a statistical process, from the detection and analysis of users’ needs to the design and testing of statistical methods, from the data collection to the data processing, from the data analysis to the data dissemination.

The adoption of an evaluation system that foresees the execution by the NSO of regular external audits of all the producers of official statistics and the preparation of improvement plans addressing data sources, statistical processes, and statistical outputs.

Implement a digital environment with the use of the most advanced information and communication technologies, as conditions allow.

Specify in the Law on Official Statistics, which is currently being drafted, the requirements for Other Entities Producing Official Statistics.

The management model illustrated in Figure 2, which will be applied to the products of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, has the following components:

Methodological aspects: elaboration of a set of methodological standards for each phase of the statistical process and guidelines for their implementation. This also includes the rules for the preservation of the confidentiality of the data collected.

Conceptual framework: formulation of a set of concepts and definitions that are aligned with the terms and definitions used for the production of official statistics.

Coordination: includes awareness-raising actions and the establishment of an institutional mechanism coordinating the activities between ONEI and the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics for the development of a National Statistical Plan, and the design and implementation of new surveys to consult producers.

Structural aspects: definition of the institutional requirements of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, and preparation of tailored proposals to strengthen the institutional set-up of each entity.

Organisational aspects: definition of functions and attributions of each entity, elaboration of process and activity maps.

Information and communication technologies: identification of the available and required resources to carry out the automation of the statistical processes, especially for the data collection and processing stage.

Figure 2.

General Management Model of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics. Source: own construction.

The implementation of the management model will be carried out through a general program of activities, applying the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle (Deming cycle), an approach which allows introducing a change in a process carrying out the tasks in a systematic way with a logical and gradual order.

The management model constitutes a significant change in the treatment of the components of the National Statistical System. In defining the new functions of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, attention will be paid to the difference between the production of official statistics and the generation of administrative data so that data collection can be optimised and the quality of the statistical products improved.

Strengthening the leadership role of ONEI is a necessary prerequisite for the implementation of the new management model. ONEI should therefore be responsible for the design and functioning of the national statistical system, establishing and applying rules and regulations, monitoring and advising the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics, and determining their dissemination policies, in accordance with the information classified as being of national interest. As a result, the statistical products generated by the other entities producing official statistics will be reliable, timely, and satisfy users’ needs.

The study also identified risks to be managed within the action plan, considering that any change process is subject to uncertainties, which must be managed from the original design to the change implementation. The most important risks in the implementation of the new model, which may cause deviations from the original concept, are:

Resistance to change.

Inadequate human resources, in terms of quantity and commitment.

Insufficient training of technical staff.

Insufficient funds to support statistical production.

Inadequate adoption of information and communication technologies.

Outdated legal framework.

4. Conclusions and recommendations

The review of the Complementary Statistical Information Subsystem, within the National Statistical System, allowed the identification of the primary and secondary causes that significantly affect the standardisation of the statistical process carried out by the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics in Cuba.

The management model proposed entails important transformations in the current Complementary Statistical Information Subsystem (SISC); that is, transformations that affect its design, scope, organisation, endowment of IT and human resources, as well as management practices, which constitute the basis for the improvement of this subsystem.

The results of this study demonstrate the need to strengthen the role of ONEI as coordinator and leader of the SEN through the enactment of regulatory mechanisms and legal instruments able to address the complexity of the transformations required by the different actors of the National Statistical System. In order to consolidate its role in the NSS, ONEI should:

Update its action plan for the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the National Statistical System 2021–2025 and include the tasks and activities foreseen by the new management model of the Other Entities Producing Official Statistics.

Make progress in the implementation of the National Quality Assurance Framework, considering the urgent need to improve the quality of official statistics.

Carry out a more detailed study to decide whether continuing to operate with three distinct subsystems within the Cuban Statistical System is advisable, given the limitations of this institutional setting.

Footnotes

ORCID iD

Mercedes Hilda González Guilarte

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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