Page 361 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS277 Matthew Shearing
driven by the necessity to access new data sources, and then only with
significant caution. In terms of solving the funding crisis for statistical
development, the engagement seems to have been excessively sparse.
This caution is to some extent legitimately driven by both legal and
philosophical concerns. In the case of gaining access to new data sources, it is
important however to reflect on the fact that these concerns are gradually
being eroded given the will to address them. Therefore, this could also be the
case in increasing the use of the private sector in wider capacity development.
In any case, it is now increasingly evident that it is an existential matter for
official statistics to evolve to be a more outward-focussed multi-sectoral
enterprise. But trust remains a major barrier. There are still strong perceptions
that private sector is solely motivated by making profits and not the public
interest, and moreover that it is morally wrong to spend public money on
private sector involvement in official statistics. These perceptions should be
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challenged .
A less psychological barrier holding back this potential are the
bureaucratic structures in which some public sector organisations operate.
Some NSOs for instance are not able (by regulation) to operate in a
commercial venture. Some international organisations are highly constrained
by the resources and time required to organise the procurement of a
commercial tender. However, regulations and bureaucracies are not static.
They can evolve in line with internal and external political priorities. So perhaps
the fundamental barrier is a lack of senior leadership in making the necessary
changes to free up the potential of the private sector.

4. Discussion and Conclusion
This paper has made the case that the global statistical community must pay
more attention to the use and development of PPPs in capacity development.
Analysis of the economics of statistical capacity development seems to
indicate that an expanded role for the private sector in statistical capacity
development could release significant benefits. However, further discussion
and evidence gathering is encouraged to establish:
• What further lessons can we learn from experiences of PPPs in
capacity development projects to improve their design and the use
of the private sector more broadly?
• What can be done to reduce the barriers in NSOs and international
organisations to release the potential of PPPs?
• What can the private sector do to enhance its suitability for greater
involvement in capacity development?

6 https://undataforum.org/WorldDataForum/suspicious-minds-trust-and-releasing-the-
potential-of-publicprivate-partnerships-in-statistical-capacity-development/
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