Government Statistical Agencies and the Politics of Credibility

Who decides how official statistics are produced? Do politicians have control or are key decisions left to statisticians in independent statistical agencies? Interviews with statisticians in Australia, Canada, Sweden, the UK and the USA were conducted to get insider perspectives on the nature of decision making in government statistical administration. While the popular adage suggests there are 'lies, damned lies and statistics', this research shows that official statistics in liberal democracies are far from mistruths; they are consistently insulated from direct political interference. Yet, a range of subtle pressures and tensions exist that governments and statisticians must manage. The power over statistics is distributed differently in different countries, and this book explains why. Differences in decision-making powers across countries are the result of shifting pressures politicians and statisticians face to be credible, and the different national contexts that provide distinctive institutional settings for the production of government numbers.

• Features in-depth interviews with senior government statisticians and provides insider accounts of the challenges a key group of government experts face in managing their organisations and interacting with elected politicians
• Includes a comparison of five countries' statistical systems, gives an international perspective on the challenges facing statisticians, and explains why different countries organise their statistical systems differently
• Offers an innovative theoretical framework centred on the politics of credibility and shows that the quest for authority in government is an ongoing struggle for credibility