03-05-2012
In this paper we concentrate on methodological developments to improve the accuracy of a data set after linking economic survey and register data to a population frame. Because in economic data different unit types are used, errors may occur in relations between data unit types and statistical unit types. A population frame contains all units and their relations for a specific period. There may also be errors in the linkage of data sets to the population frame. When variables are added to a statistical unit by linking it to a data source, the effect of an incorrect linkage or relation is that the additional variables are combined with the wrong statistical unit. In the present paper we formulate a strategy for detecting and correcting errors in the linkage and relations between units of integrated data. For a Dutch case study the detection and correction of potential errors is illustrated
27-04-2012
Recently Statistics Netherlands has started research into the share of illegal activities in the national income. The total contribution of illegal activities to the national income of the Netherlands increased from 1800 million euro in 1995 to almost 3500 million euro in 2008, equalling 0.6 percent of gross national income. The main illegal sector is drugs, which accounted for over 50 percent of the total income from illegal activities in 2001. In 2008 that share was down to less than 40 percent, whereas finding illegal employment rose from about 10 percent in 1995 to 33 percent in 2008.
27-04-2012
In this paper by Floris van Ruth, a graphical tool is presented for analysing the labour market. The state of the labour market, defined as tightness, is characterised via the interaction of supply of and demand for labour, enabling a more comprehensive analysis. Supply is defined as the proportion of the labour force holding a job, whilst demand is represented by the average of several indicators of labour demand. This approach results in a new and more general characterization of the state of the labour market, presented in an easy to interpret visual manner.
27-04-2012
This paper by Daan Zult and Floris van Ruth describes a new type of analytical tool, developed for detecting early signals of changes in the development of exports. It is novel in several ways; it focuses on exports using a demand-pull approach, is based on a structural analysis of the demand for Dutch exports, and takes the form a disaggregated visual tool. 16 selected foreign demand sectors are monitored using leading signaling indicators. The aggregate is leading to the growth rate of Dutch exports. The disaggregated set up results in increased early warning capabilities, as changes in development in individual industries are immediately visible.
24-02-2012
This is a report for choosing a language and tool for the business and information architecture (BI-architecture) of Statistics Netherlands. This is a first step to improve the current way of BI-architecture development and maintenance. In the first phase of the project the business architects indicated the need to change the current language and tool for others. In the second phase of the project the business architects together with the IT Enterprise architects advised that Archimate and BizzDesign Architect are the best language and tool combination to support the new way of working.
17-02-2012
Since design-based methods like the generalized regression estimator have large design variances in the case of small sample sizes, model-based techniques can be considered as an alternative. In this paper a simulation study is carried out where small area estimation based on a linear mixed model is applied to the variable turnover of the Structural Business Survey of Statistics Netherlands. By applying the EBLUP, the accuracy of the estimates can be substantially improved compared to the generalized regression estimator. The EBLUP estimates, however, are biased, which is partly caused by the skewed distribution of the variable turnover. It is found that by transforming the target variable both skewness and bias can be substantially reduced, whereas the variance increases. As a result, the accuracy is slightly improved compared to the EBLUP.
09-02-2012
Macro-integration is widely used for the reconciliation of macro figures, usually in the form of large multi-dimensional tabulations, obtained from different sources. Traditionally these techniques have been extensively applied in the area of macro-economics, especially in the compilation of the National Accounts. Methods for macro-integration have developed over the years and have become very versatile techniques for solving integration of data from different sources at a macro level. In this paper we propose applications of macro-integration techniques in other domains than the traditional macro-economic applications. In particular, we present two possible applications for macro-integration methods: reconciliation of tables of a virtual census and combining estimates of labour market variables.
18-01-2012
In order to produce official statistics of sufficient quality, statistical institutes carry out an extensive process of checking and correcting the data that they collect. This process is called statistical data editing. In this article, we give a brief overview of current data editing methodology. In particular, we discuss the application of selective and automatic editing procedures to improve the efficiency and timeliness of the data editing process.
06-01-2012
The object of this paper is to present a new formulation of the error localisation problem which can distinguish between hard and soft edits
04-01-2012
Survey nonresponse occurs when members of a sample cannot or will not participate in the survey. It remains a problem despite the development of statistical methods that aim to reduce nonresponse. In this paper, we address the problem of resource allocation in survey designs in which the focus is on the quality of the survey results given that there will be nonresponse. We propose a novel method in which the optimal allocationof survey resources can be determined. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by extensive numerical experiments.
