Publication:
Improving the Productivity of National Offices for Statistics: Suriname Case Study

Abstract
This Suriname case study presents the main conclusions of the application of Improving the Productivity of National Offices for Statistics (IPNOS), a tool developed by the World Bank to assess the functioning of national statistical offices (NSOs). This approach was implemented at the General Bureau of Statistics (Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek, ABS), the NSO of Suriname, in May-July 2023. The exercise has allowed the comprehensive identification of the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges related to statistical production and dissemination in the country, as well the ABS coordination role with producers of national statistical systems (NSSs). The assessment has provided ABS with an action plan for the improvement of this crucial task in the future and has offered key recommendations for the implementation of the plan.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Medina Giopp, Alejandro; Montes, Jose; Aldanondo, Jorge Martínez; Gadsden De La Peza, Paola; de Hoop, Jacobus Joost. 2023. Improving the Productivity of National Offices for Statistics: Suriname Case Study. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41012 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Improving the Productivity of National Offices for Statistics
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06) Medina Giopp, Alejandro; Montes, Jose; Martinez, Jorge
    For decades, policy experts’ and practitioner consensus has been growing about the crucial role quality data plays in informing policy making. This has led to investment and projects to increase quality data availability. But progress has been slow, as reflected by slow improvement in country statistical capacity, many countries remain data deprived. The IPNOS toolkit is based on the notion that producing more and better statistics, while requiring adequate resources, should also be efficient. Various initiatives assess national statistical systems’ (NSS) and data production. The World Bank’s IPNOS initiative complements existing kits, providing in-depth analytical tools to evaluate the efficiency of national statistical offices (NSOs), including costs, data quality, and NSO management. IPNOS application in 3 countries has identified bottlenecks and areas for improvement to inform data policies.
  • Publication
    Assessing Statistical Needs in Belize for Data-Driven Decision-Making
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-05-22) De Hoop, Jacobus Joost; Medina Giopp, Alejandro; Hulse, Gabrielle Michelle
    This note presents findings of a Statistical Needs Assessment (SNA) of the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB). The aim of the assessment is to inform efforts to enhance the national statistical system for data driven decision-making. Belize has shown good progress in the development of its statistical infrastructure. Some challenges persist in data collection, coordination, and usage. Key priorities include developing the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS), integrating administrative data, and addressing resource constraints. Strengthening these areas will bolster SIB's capacity as a pivotal data producer and coordinator for informed policymaking.
  • Publication
    Open Data Challenges and Opportunities for National Statistical Offices
    (Washington, DC, 2014-07-01) World Bank Group
    Open Data initiatives are transforming how governments and other public institutions interact and provide services to their constituents. They increase transparency and value to citizens, reduce inefficiencies and barriers to information, enable data-driven applications that improve public service delivery, and provide public data that can stimulate innovative business opportunities. As the gatekeepers of official statistics, National Statistics Offices (NSOs) produce many datasets that could typically comprise the foundation of an Open Data program. They may also have relationships with other data producing agencies in the national statistical system and have expertise in dealing with the many technical and data quality issues attendant in publishing data. In short, they are extremely well placed to make a valuable contribution to Open Data initiatives. Despite these advantages, NSOs do not always feature prominently in government-sponsored Open Data programs and they may be missing an important opportunity to expand the use and re-use of the data they produce. The goal of this working paper is to better understand the opportunities and challenges that Open Data presents to NSOs and to identify what steps and solutions are needed to enable NSOs to play a valuable role in national or sub-national Open Data initiatives.
  • Publication
    A Shot in the Arm
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-09) Margolies, Amy; Boaz, Anglade; De Hoop, Jacobus Joost; Kim, Phillis; Mussini, Micaela; Paffhausen, Anna Luisa; Di Giorgio, Laura
    This brief reports the findings from innovative high frequency phone surveys (HFPS) on the drivers of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake in the Caribbean among the adult population.
  • Publication
    Can Environmental Cash Transfers Reduce Deforestation and Improve Social Outcomes? A Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Mexico’s National Program (2011-2014)
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-01) Alix-Garcia, Jennifer M.; Sims, Katharine R.E.; Orozco-Olvera, Victor Hugo; Costica, Laura; Fernandez Medina, Jorge David; Romo-Monroy, Sofia; Pagiola, Stefano
    Environmental conditional cash transfers, or "payments for ecosystem services" are a centerpiece of global efforts to protect biodiversity, safeguard watersheds, and mitigate climate change by reducing forest loss. This paper evaluates the impacts of Mexico's national payments for ecosystem services program, which provides five years of payments to landowners in exchange for maintaining and managing natural land cover. Using a regression discontinuity design, the paper studies impacts on environmental, socioeconomic, and social capital outcomes for the 2011-14 program cohorts. The analysis finds that treated communities increased management activities to protect land cover, such as patrolling for illegal conversion or combatting soil erosion (by 48 percent compared to controls). The program reduced the loss of tree cover in areas at high risk of deforestation (by 29 percent compared to controls), with effects being larger for those that have been in the program the longest (38 percent compared to controls). These results are similar to estimates of impact for earlier program cohorts and continue to highlight the importance of targeting the program to areas of high risk of land cover loss to increase environmental effectiveness. The program continued to reach poor communities and households, but estimated impacts on household wealth indicators are small in magnitude and not statistically significant. These results indicate that community-level conditional payments did not harm household-level socioeconomic indicators, a key safeguard requirement of conservation policies of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. The data also show that payments for ecosystem services significantly increased community social capital -- the institutions, attitudes, and values that govern human interactions -- (by 9 percent compared to controls), and these externally provided incentives did not crowd out household contributions to other community work.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022
    (Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank
    The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.
  • Publication
    World Development Report 2006
    (Washington, DC, 2005) World Bank
    This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.
  • Publication
    The Journey Ahead
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31) Bossavie, Laurent; Garrote Sánchez, Daniel; Makovec, Mattia
    The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia provides an in-depth analysis of international migration in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and the implications for policy making. By identifying challenges and opportunities associated with migration in the region, it aims to inform a more nuanced, evidencebased debate on the costs and benefits of cross-border mobility. Using data-driven insights and new analysis, the report shows that migration has been an engine of prosperity and has helped address some of ECA’s demographic and socioeconomic disparities. Yet, migration’s full economic potential remains untapped. The report identifies multiple barriers keeping migration from achieving its full potential. Crucially, it argues that policies in both origin and destination countries can help maximize the development impacts of migration and effectively manage the economic, social, and political costs. Drawing from a wide range of literature, country experiences, and novel analysis, The Journey Ahead presents actionable policy options to enhance the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries and migrants themselves. Some measures can be taken unilaterally by countries, whereas others require close bilateral or regional coordination. The recommendations are tailored to different types of migration— forced displacement as well as high-skilled and low-skilled economic migration—and from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. This report serves as a comprehensive resource for governments, development partners, and other stakeholders throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the richness and diversity of migration experiences provide valuable insights for policy makers in other regions of the world.
  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.