Page 45 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS178 Stephan Müller
Internal communication with users at the
Deutsche Bundesbank: Improving statistics and
analytics

Stephan Müller
Deutsche Bundesbank

Abstract
Frictionless and well-attuned communication between those who compile
statistics and those who use them is essential in order to bring the supply and
demand of statistics into equilibrium. Central banks play a special role in this
context, as they both compile and use statistics. For example, the Deutsche
Bundesbank compiles monetary, financial, and external statistics, as well as a
comprehensive set of indicators and seasonally adjusted economic data. This
information system is used in the monetary policy decision-making process,
as well as for macroeconomic and macroprudential analysis. The contact
between economists and statisticians is of particular importance, as it helps
statisticians understand the user perspective, and economists the statistical
information and its limitations.
This paper describes different workstreams within the Bundesbank that have
been established to facilitate the two-way communication processes
mentioned above. This includes working groups, institutionalised forms of
communication, and direct daily communication. The latter allows for the
exchange of information at the operational level, which facilitates direct
feedback. All forms of communication strengthen economic analysis and
macroprudential policy on the one hand and provide valuable information
enabling statisticians to improve their products on the other.

Keywords
Communication processes; user needs; decision-making process; valuable
information; improved statistical products

1. Introduction
At central banks, communication processes between the producers and
the users of statistical data play an important role. Internal users need high-
quality data to fulfil their tasks and therefore need frictionless communication
with the respective data providers. The Deutsche Bundesbank compiles in
particular monetary, financial, and external statistics, and also comprehensive
sets of indicators and seasonally adjusted economic data. These data are
primarily used in the context of monetary policy decision-making as well as
macroeconomic and macroprudential analysis. Well-attuned communication
processes between statisticians and economists are thus helpful in gaining an

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