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Abstract:
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In the current debates about the distrust of citizens in institutions, experts and the official figures they produce, a common thread is the abstract nature of government statistics, which are often produced for policy making purposes, but are often less relevant - or even contradictory - to citizens' daily experiences. One of the ways of addressing this issue is for official statistics organisations to put more effort into disseminating statistics at more detailed geographical levels. For citizens, local data about their own area will often be more relevant and representative of their daily lives. This paper looks at how regional data can be used to make statistics less abstract and more relevant to everyday users and citizens. It will discuss the role which official statistics bodies can play in this effort, and will look at how regional statistical offices can contribute to better local data. Finally it will focus on how regional statistical offices contribute to national or international statistical outputs by discussing the setup and governance of regional statistical organisations, and the impact this can have on the quality and availability of local data.
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