Stylized facts of statistical standards of the Statistical Commission of the United Nations

Abstract

This article argues that the centrality of the statistical standards for developing the global and national statistical system is explained by the normative work of the Statistical Commission of the United Nations, being the highest decision-making body of the global statistical system. It further presents the centrality of the statistical standard in the terms of reference that guides the normative work of the Statistical Commission. While what constitutes a statistical standard is not formally defined by the Statistical Commission, the article continues in introducing stylized facts for statistical standards based on the practices of developing and adopting normative standards by the Statistical Commission. These stylized facts bring into focus the categories of statistical standards and the consultative cycle for the development and adoption of these standards.