Page 53 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS178 Stephan Müller
as shown in the previous sections. Due to their organisational and physical
separation as well as the sheer size of the various departments, however, the
responsible contact persons are sometimes unknown. For such cases, most of
the DGs of the Bundesbank have set up specific administrative units that can
serve as central contact points and forward enquiries to the relevant experts.
This applies to requests from users to producers, but also vice versa. From a
statistics point of view, this is especially true for enquiries where the exact
contact person is not clearly known or many units in all of DG Statistics are
affected. An example here is the central email address for coordination issues
in DG Statistics. The staff members who manage this contact point are familiar
with the detailed organisational structure of DG Statistics and can act as an
interface between the producers und users of statistical data. They can request
input from the appropriate bodies and communicate with the respective
statistical experts. Subsequently, the information provided can be
consolidated and made available to the users. If it is possible and offers
benefits, direct contact between the producer and the user can also be
established. All in all, the use of a one-stop shop offers several advantages,
namely a quick coordination process, the use of accumulated expertise,
compilation of accurate answers, and the fact that users have access to a
contact person at all times.

5. Discussion and conclusion
The discussion of the various examples of internal communication
processes between the producers and users of statistical data at the
Bundesbank – whether a daily direct or a more institutionalised form of
communication – has shown its enormous importance for the relationships
between the different stakeholders and its massive influence on the quality of
economic analysis and statistical products. It was also shown that economists
can gain a better sense of statistics because communication helps them to
reconcile their picture of the economic situation with the “reality of the data”.
In this context, close cooperation with personal contact, especially at the
operational level, and emphasis on the advisory nature of the role of
statisticians is of particular importance. A fruitful exchange hinges on well-
established personal contacts and willingness to think in interdisciplinary
terms and across departmental boundaries as the process follows people, not
the other way round. This close relationship promotes mutual understanding
and sensitises both sides to their respective needs.
As a result, statisticians gain a more analytical view of their own results.
This allows for higher accuracy in statistical quality control and is helpful in
developing statistics further. As a consequence, the credibility of statistics, and
thus the confidence in statistical statements, is increased. Ultimately, even in
times of digitalisation and communication via electronic media, nothing

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