“Monitoring MDGs and influencing policy – practical approaches and experience in Asia” Yanhong Zhang, UN ESCAP

1. Promoting effective use of
statistical data for policy making
Building on existing successes
Yanhong Zhang
Statistics Division/ESCAP
15 November 2011

2. Statistics programme of ESCAP
 Promote use of statistics for evidence-based
decision-making
 Support development of demographic, economic,
social and environmental statistics
 Facilitate implementation of existing and new
international standards
 Support capacity of NSOs to produce,
disseminate and use data in accordance with
internationally agreed standards and good
practices
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4. Initiative to promote use of statistical data
 Target at national capacity
 Focus on strengths and instead of weaknesses
 Diversity across region:
– Challenges
– Opportunities
 Systematic approach
 Consultation with leaders and senior experts in
NSOs, line ministries and development partners
 Pilot
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5. Case studies of good practices
 Australia: Collection and use of statistical data on student transition
outcomes
 Bangladesh: Population and Housing Census 2011
 India: New tools and techniques for agricultural statistics
 Nepal: Survey on hard drug users
 Maldives: Publishing of statistical yearbook
 Mongolia: ezStat application for statistical data dissemination
 Philippines: Community-based Monitoring System (CBMS)
 Bhutan: Poverty mapping using small area estimation technique
 Mongolia: Mongolia in World Competitiveness report
 New Zealand: Use of energy end use data in improving energy efficiency
 Thailand: Using statistical data to promote health equity policy
 Thailand: Use media to disseminate research results
 Vanuatu: Increasing data access for research and policy development
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6. Case studies
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Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Nepal
Maldives
Thailand
Thailand
Philippines
Mongolia
Mongolia
Vanuatu
Australia
NewZealand
Relevant data √ √
Improve data
collection
√ √ √
Data diss √ √ √
Data analysis √ √ √ √ √ √
Access √

7. Coverage of issues
 Link between data users and producers
 Institutional arrangement
 Adequate resources
 New technology
 Use of media
 New role of national statistical offices
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8. 8
What is evidence-based policy?
An approach which “helps people make well informed decisions
about policies, programmes and projects by putting the best available
evidence at the heart of policy development and implementation”
How to use strong evidence to make a difference to policy making…
Achieve
recognition of a
policy issue Inform the design
and choice of
policy
Forecast the
future
Monitor policy
implementation
Evaluate policy
impact
 once the
information is
revealed, a new
policy issue can
be recognised and
addressed.
 dimensions,
nature and
impact of the
problem can be
understood.
 forecasting
future scenarios
is important!!
 information is
required to
monitor the
expected results.
 Key is to
incorporate explicit
mechanism for
evaluating policy
impact from the
beginning

9. Enlightenment model of evidence and decision-
making
 Evidence enhances environment of policy-making
– Generating clarifications of new concepts
– Giving hints about possible alternatives
– Stimulating innovative perspectives
– Incrementally altering language and issues discussed
in policy-making circles
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10. 10
Policy process in reality
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Policy
initiative
Policy
planning
Engage stakeholders
Gather evidence
Options
appraisal
Decision &
presentation
Evaluate
& review
Delivery
START Complex and intricate
pathways between policy
initiation and delivery, with
opportunities for evidence
gathering from different
sources at various stages
along the way
 Rather than rational and
cyclical process of policy
development,
implementation and review

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Not just about what works, but also how things work, their broader
ramifications, costs, beneficiaries, losers, and unintended effects.
What is evidence?
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An array of disciplines, evidence and research methods can
be used

12. Knowledge base of “what works”
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Reflect
Document
ShareLearn
Improve
Empowerment

13. 13
Framework
Case studies
Focus areas
Criteria of good
practice
Template
Learning process
Quality assurance
Actively sharing
experiences
Learning and
improvement
Knowledge base of
what works

14. Defining a good practice
 Essential:
– Caused a measurable change or impact
– Involves both data users and producers
– Replicable, scalable and adaptable
– Adheres with the Fundamental Principles of Official
Statistics
– Objectives, processes involved and outcomes are clear
 Desirable
– Innovative or demonstrates a new use of data
– Sustainable over time
– Cost effective
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15. Documenting a good practice
 Problem statement
 Outcome achieved
 Details of the practice, e.g.
– Objective, areas covered, executing agency,
implementing partners, time frame, costs, processes
 Success factors
 Challenges and solutions
 Recommendations for others
 Future plans and sustainability
 Feedback from beneficiaries of the practice
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16. Key to success
 Knowledge base is dynamic—continuous instead of static
or one-shot deal
 Drill down to identify true success factors, factors
attributing to the success
– Systematically gather and analyze information/facts to identify
factors attributing to the success
– Context (limitations) of success
 Pre-requisite is motivation and ability to
– Reflect and share
– Inspired to search for solutions to own challenges
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More information on ESCAP
statistics on related issues, e.g.
– Regional programme on
• Agricultural statistics
• Economic statistics
• Social statistics
• Gender statistics
– Publications, projects, etc.
Can be found at:
http://www.unescap.org/stat/