Administrative Data Sources

Administrative data sources provide data created originally for purposes other than the production of statistics, distinguishing them from statistical data sources collected exclusively for statistical purposes [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.36, PDF p. 106, 2018].

Publicly controlled administrative data sources

Data may be collected by diverse governmental agencies in response to legislation and/or regulations to: (i) monitor activities related to production and consumption of energy; (ii) enable regulatory activities and audit actions; and (iii) assess outcomes of government policies, programmes and initiatives [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.55, PDF p. 109, 2018].

Each regulation or legislation (or related group of regulations/legislation) usually results in a register of the entities (enterprises, households, etc.) bound by it, together with data resulting from application of the regulation/legislation. The register and related data are referred to collectively as administrative data, and can be effectively used in compiling energy statistics [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.56, PDF p. 109, 2018]. This dependency on legislation and regulation echoes the legal framework discussed earlier in the chapter.

Advantages

The most important advantages of using administrative data include: reduction of the overall cost of data collection; reduction of response burden; smaller errors than a sample survey’s, owing to complete coverage of the population to which the regulation/legislation applies; sustainability at minimal additional cost and long-term accessibility; regular updates; possible absence of a need for survey design, sample measure and data editing; potential cooperation between agencies leading to process feedback and recognition of diverse areas of interest; potential data quality improvement; potential recognition of administrative data uses; the opportunity to link data from diverse sources; development of statistical systems within agencies; and possible use as a framework for statistical surveys [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.57, PDF pp. 109–110, 2018].

Limitations

Since administrative data are not primarily collected for statistical purposes, special attention must be paid to their limitations, with descriptions of those limitations captured in the relevant metadata. Possible limitations include: inconsistencies in the concepts and definitions of data items; deviation from the preferred definition of the statistical units; the legislation/regulation’s population differing from the desired survey population; poor data quality from a lack of quality assurance on the administrative side; possible time-series breaks caused by changes in regulations/legislation; and legal constraints on access and confidentiality (see IRES Chapter X for further discussion of confidentiality) [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.58, PDF p. 110, 2018].

Identifying and selecting sources

Compilers of energy statistics should identify and review the administrative data sources available in their country and use the most appropriate ones for collecting and compiling energy statistics, which significantly reduces response burden and survey costs. The relative advantages and disadvantages above are not absolute — whether and to what extent they apply depends on the specific country situation. Examples of administrative data sources important for energy statistics include: customs records (for imports/exports of energy products), value added tax (VAT), specific taxes or excise duty payable on specific fuels (e.g., gasoline and diesel for road use) or energy types (e.g., carbon tax), and regulated electricity and gas market meter operator systems [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.59, PDF p. 110, 2018].

Privately controlled administrative data sources

Data may also be collected by privately controlled organizations, such as trade associations, typically to help the industry understand important aspects of its own operations; such data are often also important to governments and decision- and policymakers. The statistical agency responsible for energy statistics should work cooperatively with these private organizations to gain access to such data and maximize their statistical value, which keeps reporting burden on industry to a minimum by avoiding a requirement to report to both the private organization and the statistical agency. If agreement cannot be reached, the statistical agency may need to require that data be submitted to it directly, though every effort should be made to establish proper cooperation. Statistical agencies must ensure the quality and objectivity of data supplied by these organizations, since data collection is not their primary activity and they may function as industry advocates [IRES, Ch. VII, para. 7.60, PDF p. 110, 2018].

Related

• Statistical Data Sources — the complementary category of data source (censuses and sample surveys)
• Legal Framework and Institutional Arrangements — the legal basis administrative registers depend on
• Data Compilation Methods — how data from both statistical and administrative sources is validated and compiled