High quality data and research as the foundation of reforms

Today, the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a lecture for master's students of the Academy of Public Administration.

"Reforms in the public administration system must be grounded in research, and that research, in turn, must be supported by data. In this context, our Agency has a unique resource in the form of the Bureau of National Statistics. However, we also aim to instill a culture of data-driven decision-making throughout the entire public sector. For this reason, we are conducting a reform of the state statistics system, the results of which we will share during today’s lecture" - said Agency Chairman Zhandos Shaimardanov.

Currently, along with primary statistical information and administrative data, the Agency is integrating alternative sources. For example, mobile data is used to track migration and tourism activities, banking transactions help assess citizens' living standards, satellite imagery provides insights into the area and yield levels of agricultural crops, and fiscal receipts are used to monitor prices.

The Chairman emphasized the importance of data quality. He provided examples of the work done by the newly established institute of data controllers, who identify incorrect data in administrative sources and make systemic proposals for further development of various information systems.

"To strengthen the analytical capacity of both users and public sector employees, we have developed a Data Literacy program in collaboration with international organizations. This open online platform is available to anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge in the field of statistics and data analysis" - noted Zh.Shaimardanov.

At the end of the event a Q&A session was held, where all participants received comprehensive answers to their questions.