ASA Endorses CNSTAT’s Principles and
Practices for Federal Statistical Agency
null
The Principles and Practices is an invaluable stan-
dard of guidance for leadership and staff of every
About the National Academies’
federal statistical agency. It helps sort out the Committee on National Statistics
evolving challenges to accomplishing their mis-
The Committee on National statistics (CNsTAT)
sions in difficult times. Perhaps most important, in
was established in 1972 at the recommendation
my experience, the book is a place to repair when
of the President’s Commission on Federal
statistics to improve the statistical methods and
one is pressed to some improper expediency. It is
information on which public policy decisions
also actually appreciated by higher-level political
are based. The committee serves as an
appointees who want to ‘do the right thing’ in an
integrative force for the nation’s decentralized
federal statistical system through its wide-
awkward situation, but have not been prepared by
ranging studies on statistical applications
their experience to see what that is. The endorse-
in public policy and its ongoing review of
ment by the American statistical Association adds
statistical policy activities of the executive
branch and Congress.
the force of the size and wisdom of that leading
national organization of the profession.
The committee convenes expert panels to
conduct studies on the data and methodology
~ C. Louis Kincannon, U.s. Ce
null
nsus Bureau,
needed to improve our understanding of
Director 2002–2008 and Deputy Director 1982–1992
the U.s. population, economy, environment,
public health, crime, education, immigration,
poverty, welfare, terrorism, and other public
policy topics. The committee also furthers the
application of statistics to better implement
and evaluate federal programs and works to
A
t a recent meeting, the ASA Board of improve statistical methods for application to
Directors voted to endorse Principles and public affairs; private sector decisionmaking; and
Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency social, economic, and other scientific research.
(P&P), 4th Ed. The publication is a project of the
Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT), a
For more information about the committee,
standing unit of the National Academy of Sciences,
its reports, and its projects, visit www7.
which issued the first edition in 1992.
nationalacademies.org/cnstat.
“Principles and Practices is the authoritative
guide for federal statistical agencies,” said Sally
Morton, ASA president and CNSTAT member. “It
builds on years of experience observing, advising,
P&P was developed in response to requests that
and interacting with the federal statistical agencies
CNSTAT provide advice on what constitutes an
and represents a great wealth of accumulated wis-
effective federal statistical agency. Second and third
dom. The endorsement of the ASA Board signals
editions of the publication were issued in 2001 and
our strong support of the federal statistical agencies,
2005, respectively, updating the document to pro-
and we will use P&P to provide guidance for the
vide current editions to newly appointed cabinet
ASA’s science policy initiatives.”
secretaries at the beginning of each presidential
14 AmstAt News JUNE 2009
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