|
Target Audience: 20 high flying leaders from around the world (statisticians, economists, policy analysts and government officials).
Main focus: The importance of statistics for democracy and democratic decision-making; measures of progress that go “beyond GDP”; tools to transform statistics into knowledge; evidence, civic engagement and policy making; the role of National Statistical Offices in the 21st Century.
Scope:
“A culture of evidence-based decision making has to be promoted at all levels, to increase the welfare of societies. And in the “information age,” welfare depends in part on transparent and accountable public policy making. The availability of statistical indicators of economic, social, and environmental outcomes and their dissemination to citizens can contribute to promoting good governance and the improvement of democratic processes. It can strengthen citizens’ capacity to influence the goals of the societies they live in through debate and consensus building, and increase the accountability of public policies” (Extracted from the Istanbul Declaration - 2nd World Form, June 2007 English version).
Is life getting better? Are our societies making progress? And yet how many of us have the evidence to answer these questions? The world is changing and there is a global need, in this ‘information age’, to better understand social change in the 21st Century. This is why, for example, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, established the Commission on “Measuring Economic Performance and Social Progress”, a commission led by Joseph Stliglitz and featuring several nobel prize winners and leading minds.
Statisticians have a key role to play, both in collecting data on economic, social, and environmental performance and in developing communication tools that help users turn statistics into knowledge and policy. Policy analysts need to better understand social change to develop innovative solutions and provide useful advice. National and local government officials have to develop evidence based policies to address economic, social and environmental concerns.
To learn more about how to use measurement, analytical and communication tools, the OECD in collaboration with the Richard Goodwin School of Economics of the University of Siena (see http://www.economia.unisi.it/index.php), and STATEC Luxembourg have developed a training course on “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy: Understanding Societal Change”
The course has been designed to provide assistance to those wanting to understand the progress of their societies and formulate evidence based policies. Organised in the context of the Project on “Measuring the Progress of Societies” (see www.oecd.org/oecdworldforum).
Teachers: The emphasis will be on interactive learning, through peer learning, rather than formal teaching. It will be a place to exchange ideas and best practices, to improve collective understanding of global and local progress. Outstanding experts from international organisations and academic institutions. Presentor will include: Daniel Byk (STATEC); Enrico Giovannini (Chief Statistician OECD); Jon Hall and Barbara Iasiello (Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies, OECD); Achille Lemmi and Stefano Bartolini (Richard Goodwin School of Economics of the University of Siena); Filomena Maggino (International Society of Quality of Life Study, ISQOLS); Jim Ridgeway (Smart Center, Durham University, UK).
Practical information: The Summer School will be held at the Santa Chiara Scuola Superiore of the Universita’ di Siena, in Siena, Italy, one of the most beautiful and historical Italian cities. The course will be in English. Participants will need to be able to cover their own expenses. The course will begin at 3pm on 16th September and finish at lunch time on the 19th. The participation fee (900 euros) includes:
- accomodation (3 nights)
- breakfast and lunches (3 days)
- coffee breaks
- a CD/DVD with all training materials.
Agenda for the Siena Training Course on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy
Biographies of the Speakers
MAP to find Siena, helpful directions and transportation suggestions.
Registration: Space is limited to just 20 applicants and participants will be selected according to their role and experience in order to achieve a good balance for peer to peer learning. Applicants should write to Ms Barbara Iasiello barbara.iasiello@oecd.org (or contact her at +33 (0) 145249436), attaching a CV. We will let you know as quickly as possible whether your application has been accepted. The deadline for registration is 31th July 2008.
|
