Cristina Martelli, Ph.D., Department of Statistics, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni, 59, Firenze, 50134, Italy
Abstract.
In the context of the Italian support Programme to the Mozambique National Statistical System[1], started in 2004, a survey on Non Observed Economy (NOE) has been performed aimed at providing a first estimate of the phenomenon; the survey has been carried out at national level. according to best practices and international standards.
Years after the survey the data need to be refreshed, but every developing country experiences huge difficulties in financing the construction of the statistical information systems that are so vital for their economic and social governance. The cost are for these countries relatively higher than for other countries because, given the characteristics of their administrative system, is often virtually impossible to re-use administrative data in a statistical perspective.
In this paper a reflection is developed on the problem of using administrative data sets to improve statistical information systems in developing countries, and, in particular, a protocol and a practical approach is proposed in order to profit of the numerous government’s campaign focused on bridging the digital divide.
[1] The Project, financed by the Italian cooperation and implemented by ICstat - Centre for the International Statistical Cooperation ‘Luigi Bodio’- a non profit organisation specialised in international cooperation projects, was structured in four main components: (1) Labour Statistics component, aiming at developing good quality labour statistics through the exploitation of administrative records and designing a methodology that can be followed by any institution in the process of producing good quality statistical data; (2) Provincial Offices component, aiming at strengthening the capacity of the provincial offices of the National Institute of Statistics; (3) Informal economy component, aiming at conducting a study, through a survey, on the informal sector in Mozambique and designing a methodology applicable for the analysis of the phenomenon in the country, (4) Non-profit sector component, aiming at defining the non-profit sector and set up a register at national level, including international and national organisations, and conducting a survey at country level.