Explain Administrative Statistics. Discuss its advantages, limitations, and role in modern governance.

Explain Administrative Statistics. Discuss its advantages, limitations, and role in modern governance.

Answer

1. Meaning of Administrative Statistics

Administrative statistics are by-products of administrative processes, collected primarily for non-statistical purposes, such as taxation, registration, regulation, and service delivery.

Examples:

• GST returns

• Birth and Death Registration (CRS)

• Income Tax filings

• EPFO and ESIC records

• School enrolment data

2. Characteristics

• Continuous and routine collection

• Full or near-complete coverage

• Legally backed data generation

• Large volume, high frequency

3. Advantages

(a) Cost-effective

No separate survey cost.

(b) Timely

Real-time or near real-time data.

(c) Complete coverage

Often census-like.

(d) Enables granular analysis

District, block, establishment-level insights.

4. Limitations

• Definitions may change due to policy reforms.

• Missing values and inconsistencies.

• Lack of statistical concepts like sampling error.

• Coverage bias (e.g., informal sector exclusion).

5. Role in Modern Governance

• Evidence-based policymaking

• Monitoring SDGs

• Welfare targeting

• Early warning signals (inflation, unemployment)

6. Conclusion

Administrative statistics are the future of official statistics, but must be cleaned, standardized, and statistically validated before use.