Courrier des statistiques N9 - 2023

This ninth issue of the Courrier des statistiques is marked by a number of highly technical papers and by topics that are unusual for the review.
It all begins with a story: the history of Official Statistics, from the angle of democratic debate, in the 40 years since the creation of INSEE.
In order to contribute to the public debate, INSEE has recently innovated with the introduction of "distributional national accounts", which make it possible to better analyse the distribution of growth and its impact on household incomes. The second paper explains the principles, mechanisms and prospects.
Then occurs a change of theme with two papers on data confidentiality. One sets out the legal framework, the risks associated with breaches of confidentiality and the subtleties of applying statistical confidentiality in a changing context. The other, more operational, explains the rationale behind the "non‑significant statistical code" (CSNS) and how it facilitates the matching of different sources while ensuring the protection of individual data.
The last three papers deal with related topics that are important in a "world of data". We begin with data formats, a topic that is not often discussed, but one that statistics cannot ignore. Choosing and managing the right formats is essential when statisticians use third‑party data sources. The paper on the integration of administrative data reveals an automated processing pipeline driven by metadata, a prerequisite for more traditional statistical production. Finally, the CNAV (National Old‑Age Pension Fund) explains the importance of formalised and documented exchange standards automatically generating control tools for better monitoring of data quality in the field of social security.