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Preface
Synthetic data provides new opportunities for National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to maximise the amount of statistical information that data users can utilise while keeping statistical disclosure risks at a minimal level.
Utility measures for evaluating synthetic data
The utility or value of a synthetic data set reflects how useful that data set is to the purpose or the use case for the data. As discussed in Chapter 2 synthetic data is often used either instead of the original data or as a preliminary analysis to guide the final results which will be run on the original data. In both cases the utility of synthetic data is based on how similar the conclusions are between the synthetic data and the original (confidential) data. This is equally important in the latter use case because preliminary analysis on the synthetic data will guide the final models used.
Acknowledgments
The Introduction was authored by Kate Burnett-Isaacs and Claude Girard at Statistics Canada.
Methods for creating synthetic data
There are many methods for generating synthetic data and to determine which method to use it is important to start by identifying the type of synthetic data that is required and within what context they will be used. Specifically when creating a synthetic data set the synthesiser (the individual making the synthetic data) needs to consider the desired analytical value to be preserved as well as the acceptable level of disclosure risk which will mainly depend on how accessible the synthetic data set that is generated will be (i.e. public release restricted release etc.).
Introduction
Data are a valuable resource providing critical input for statisticians economists and data scientists to generate timely and granular insights that respond to the information needs of a broad range of stakeholders. In a world where increasingly large volumes of data are coming from an increasing number of providers National Statistical Offices (NSOs) are using innovative approaches to maintain data standards and definitions good privacy and confidentiality management systems and responsible data-sharing.
Synthetic Data for Official Statistics
This guide is for those working in NSOs who are involved in managing access to statistical data and who wish to explore the possibility of using synthetic data as a possible method for users to access it. The guide highlights some recent successful applications of synthetic data by a number of different NSOs and introduces some of the different approaches that can be taken to creating synthetic data including recommendations on which approaches to use in different situations as well as practical tips and resources for getting started for practitioners.
Disclosure considerations for synthetic data
According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD 2003) disclosure relates to the inappropriate release of data or attribute information of an individual or an organization. Disclosure risk is the possibility of disclosure occurring and disclosure control refers to methods that can be used to reduce it. The purpose of this chapter is to present the disclosure control options available to NSOs and their synthesisers.
Uses of synthetic data
Synthetic data can solve statistical disclosure problems faced by NSOs but the value of syntheticZ data varies with the nature of the problem faced. This section explains the main uses of synthetic data in NSOs with a discussion of utility disclosure risk requirements and risk mitigation.
Women Economic Empowerment in the Arab Region
In the area of global development issues there has been a long-standing agenda concerning women’s rights and gender issues. While progress has been made on various fronts gender inequality across the world remains to be addressed in its entirety including in the Arab region. The Arab region continues to register one of the largest gender gaps despite significant progress in educational achievement. Educational advancement has not trickled down to economic participation and opportunity since women’s labour force participation in several countries in the region remains low compared to countries in other regions or to male labour force participation in Arab countries. These guidelines form a tool addressed to policymakers in the Arab States to support and scale up their efforts to advance care economy and policies and promote women’s economic participation. It also serves relevant non-governmental stakeholders to support the promotion and expansion of the care economy.
Looking forward
The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences served as a wake-up call as they drew attention to the existing salient societal challenge of unpaid care work assumed majorly by women in the Arab region which constrain the fulfilment of their potential.
Acknowledgements
This guidelines document is developed in the context of efforts made by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) relating to women’s economic empowerment and care economy in the Arab region led by Rouba Arja Social Affairs Officer Gender Justice Population and Inclusive Development Cluster under the overall guidance of Mehrinaz el Awady Cluster Leader. It is prepared under a global Development Account project on strengthening social protection for pandemic responses coordinated by Nada Darwazeh Director ESCWA Centrer for Women. The present document primarily builds on a draft prepared by Ruchika Chaudhary (consultant). Ghada Tabbah (consultant) provided substantive inputs to the guidelines.
Designing Policies to Reduce the Burden of Unpaid Care Work and to Boost Economic Participation of Women
This section will focus on the transformative policies mostly related to recognizing reducing and redistributing unpaid care work without addressing policies related to rewarding and representing care workers.
Ready to Learn and Thrive
This ground-breaking report brings together for the first time multiple data sources to provide a global overview of school health and nutrition policies and programmes showing that these are a practical and affordable way to support learners’ well-being and development. For example more than 100 countries have school vaccination programmes one in two primary schoolchildren receives school meals and almost every country includes education for health and well-being in its curriculum. Yet many children are missing out especially in the poorest countries. As the world is facing a global food crisis and struggling with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic this report urges governments and development partners to put learners’ health and well-being at the core of the education agenda and to improve the quality and reach of these programmes so that all children and adolescents can learn and thrive. This requires implementing comprehensive programmes that are coordinated across sectors and sustained by increased policy and financial commitments.