Political power and the Argentine statistical system: The case of INDEC.

The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses of Argentina (INDEC) is ruled by a law passed in 1968 which created the National Statistical System. Throughout time, INDEC has been a prestigious institution with high level human resources and excellent statistical practices. At the beginning of 2007 the National Government began to interfere with the procedures and the results of the statistical operations, mainly those related to CPI calculations. Many technicians were transferred to different positions or simply dismissed. The distortions in the statistical operations extended to GDP estimates, labour market indicators, foreign trade, balance of payments and almost all other statistical series. Poverty calculations were suppressed. Since December 2015, the new government has been developing a policy based on a strong commitment to international best practices. A new staff of experienced and highly qualified professionals is in charge of the main areas of the Institute and a new set of data has been issued, although there are still a great number of improvements to be made. Institutional reform is also in prospect. The paper reviews this process and extracts some lessons about the need for a strong institutional framework as the basis for avoiding political interference in statistical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]