The Federal Statistical System

How do federal statistics strengthen our nation's science as well as its policy?In this latest volume of The ANNALS, leading academics, along with key federal officials, including the president's science advisor, the chief statistician of the U.S., the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the presidents of the National Academies, and the director of the Census Bureau address the argument that the statistics that the federal statistical system produces should be understood as constituting a scientific infrastructure for the empirical social sciences. Further, they see the current federal statistical system as "the best hope for bringing strong science to bear on new data sources" and "the best place to navigate unforeseen challenges in preserving the independence of statistical information from political interference."If federal statistics are the knowledge base from which policy problems and solutions emerge, it is imperative that we pay attention to the lessons they offer. Never before has this topic received this level of attention from such an array of contributors. A must read for all social scientists and policy-makers.

IntroductionScience Starts Not After Measurement, But With Measurement - Kenneth Prewitt Section One: Federal Statistics and The Nation's Infrastructure for Science & PolicySocial Science Data and the Shaping of National Policy - John P. HoldrenFederal Statistics: Understanding a Crucial Resource - Katherine K. WallmanThe Importance of Federal Statistics for Advancing Science and Identifying Policy Options - Ralph CiceroneThe Need to Get the Right Health Statistics and to Get the Health Statistics Right - Harvey Fineberg In Engineering: Why it is Critical to Have Quality Data and Scientifically Sound Statistical Analysis - Charles VestSection Two: Who Uses Federal Statistics? The GovernmentFederal Statistics in the Policymaking Process - Peter R. OrszagThe Government Accountability Office and Congressional Uses of Federal Statistics - Nancy KingsburyDesigning a New Architecture for the U.S. National Accounts - Dale W. JorgensonThe Federal Statistical System: The Local Government Perspective - Joseph J. Salvo and Arun Peter Lobo The Public and the PressIndicators and the Federal Statistical System: An Essential but Fraught Partnership - Norman M. Bradburn and Carolyn J.E. FuquaThe Media as Consumers of Statistics - Paul Overberg Social SciencesImmigration Statistics for the 21st Century - Douglas S. MasseyWhy American Families Need the Census - Stephanie CoontzSection Three: Where Do Federal Statistics Come From?The Census and the Federal Statistical System: Historical Perspectives - Margo AndersonThe Structure and Activities of the U.S. Federal Statistical System: History and Recurrent Challenges - Robert M. GrovesSection Four: Strengthening the Statistical SystemThe Role of the Federal Statistical System in Evidence-Based Policy-Making or How to Make the Statistical System Essential - Michael J. O'GradyThe Federal Statistical System and the Four "I"s - Stephen E. FienbergThe Future of Innovation in the Federal Statistical System - Hermann HabermannWhy We Need One Statistical Agency - Janet L. NorwoodSection Five: Protecting the System from Political InterferencePrinciples and Practices for the Federal Statistical System: The View from the Committee on National Statistics - William F. Eddy, Constance F. Citro, and Daniel L. CorkWhat is Political Interference in Federal Statistics? - Kenneth Prewitt