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Why Have Government Statistics? (And How to Cut their Cost)*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Ray Thomas
Ray Thomas
Affiliation:
New Towns Study UnitThe Open University
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Abstract

Intra-orgartisationally statistics are commonly perceived, both in government and in other organisations, as a tool of management. But the dominant function of statistics is to contribute to inter- and intra-organisational coordination. The value of statistics lies in their use as an instrument of self-management. The paper identifies an unacknowledged degree of participation by users in statistical systems and advocates an ought-to-know principle for the design of such systems. The ought-to-know principle should guide the distribution of statistics within governmental organisations and policy for statistical publication. Contributor and user organisations (e.g. local government and private firms) should play a greater part in deciding what statistics should be collected and how they should be distributed and could well share responsibility for meeting the costs.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , May 1984 , pp. 85 - 102
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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