Page 46 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS178 Stephan Müller
understanding of the user perspective as well as the statistical information and
its limitations.
This paper is structured as follows: following a brief overview of the overall
tasks of Directorate General (DG) Statistics and how the user perspective can
be taken into account, various types and levels of internal communication are
illustrated by several examples. This starts with direct daily communication in
everyday processes, especially at the working level, which facilitates direct
feedback. Examples include microdata exchange and the work of the
Bundesbank’s data specialists. Particular emphasis is placed on the production
process of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. Another method of
communication, for example, is the establishment of interdisciplinary working
groups. This is mainly done in order to work on more conceptual issues. Finally,
“institutionalised” forms of communication are explained. These mainly
concern standardised processes for dealing with frequently recurring
procedures. The final conclusion underlines that 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.

2. The objectives and producers of the Bundesbank’s statistics
Statistics has been one of the fastest growing areas of activity at the
Bundesbank for several years. The sharp increase in demand for statistical
products due to macroprudential and microprudential requirements and the
development of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) is causing a massive
surge in subjects and users. In addition to monetary policy and the analysis of
macrodata, the Bundesbank’s DG Statistics also supports the areas of financial
stability, markets, payments, banking supervision, and microdata research.
Specifically, the Deutsche Bundesbank is responsible for banking, capital
market, and balance of payments statistics. For this reason, DG Statistics
collects data from banks, non-financial corporations, and private persons. In
addition, a large volume of statistical data comes from other institutions and
is edited for analytical purposes. Statistics for the German economy are of
particular interest. However, economic statistics for other countries are also
becoming more important. A large number of indicators are seasonally
adjusted.
The statistical results provided by the Bundesbank are used not only for
internal purposes, but also serve as an indispensable basis for economic
analyses in politics, business, science, and administration. The Bundesbank’s
statistics also represent the German contribution to the European statistical
indicators provided by the European Central Bank (ECB) in order to fulfil the
tasks of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). In addition, the German
results are also made available to other international organisations (e.g.

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