Page 222 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS224 Jean-Michel Durr

The balance between governance support
needed and influence avoided; the case of
population censuses in developing countries
Jean-Michel Durr
National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee)

Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and
do not necessarily represent those of Insee.

Abstract
Population and housing censuses are large operations mobilizing the whole
country. The National Statistical Office, usually in charge of the preparation
and implementation of the census, does not have the permanent resources to
conduct it on its own and needs support from the national government as well
as from local authorities. There are three areas where the government plays a
role in a census. It provides the legal framework to conduct the census;
funding for the census; and logistical support. Local authorities provide also
logistical support and, in some countries, a ‘democratic control’ of the fairness
of the enumeration operations. However, the involvement of national and
local authorities in the census operations is not without pitfalls. The
independence of the census may be jeopardized, and the census perceived by
the population as an administrative operation rather than a statistical one. This
may entail lack of trust from the population on the use of the data and the
confidentiality guaranteed to the information provided. Based on examples in
the Western Balkans, Asia and Africa, the paper discusses the optimal balance
between governance support and influence avoided in the population and
housing census operations.

Keywords
Population and housing census; quality; governance

1. Introduction
According to the Fundamental Principles of Official statistics [1], the
statistical agencies need to decide according to strictly professional
considerations, including scientific principles and professional ethics, on the
methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage and
presentation of statistical data. However, population and housing censuses are
large operations that usually cannot be conducted solely by the National
Statistical Office without support of the Government. According the UN, there
are three areas where the Government plays a role in a census [2].

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