Statistical monitoring for politics in the European Union and the OECD,supporting economic growth and social progress: A comparison between Europe 2020 and the OECD Better Life Initiative

Abstract

Political strategies supporting social progress are getting more and more important. Economic growth and employment are still extremely important, especially considering the most serious economic and financial crisis (2008/2009) since World War II. However, for quite some time already, actions aimed at increasing them have had to be integrated in a larger framework, often referred to as sustainability.

This paper describes and compares comprehensive European Union and OECD strategies, which are of particular relevance for German politics. They include the EU “Europe 2020” strategy for growth and employment and the OECD approach “How’s life – Measuring Well-Being”. It is clearly shown that there are various ways of setting up and reviewing a statistical monitoring system supporting politics – from the political negotiation of aims and the scientific bases to direct dialogues with citizens. Also, the paper outlines the current priorities in the further development of official statistics aimed at enhancing the range of high-quality statistical data to satisfy user requirements and meet state-of-the-art standards.

There is no doubt about the growing flood of information, its rapidly decreasing relevance and its partly unclear validity. The current political developments show that, consequently, reliable and impartial information from official statistics is needed for political projects and decision-making and that such information must be assessed by citizens.