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In This Issue No. 48, July 2003 1 Letter from the President 3 Charles Alexander, Jr. 4 Software Review 15 Country Reports 22 Articles 22 Training Needs for Survey Statisticians in Developed and Developing Countries 27 Special Articles: Censuses Conducted Around the World 27 – The Possible Impact of Question Changes on Data and Its Usage: A Case Study of Two South African Editors Censuses (1996 and 2001) Leyla Mohadjer Jairo Arrow 32 Discussion Corner: Substitution Section Editors 38 Announcements John Kovar — Country Reports James Lepkowski — Software Review 38 IASS General Assembly 38 IASS Elections Production Editor 38 Joint IMS-SRMS Mini Meeting Therese Kmieciak 38 IASS Program Committee for ISI, Sidney 2005 39 Publication Notice Circulation 40 Association for Survey Computing 2003 Claude Olivier 41 IASS Web Site Anne-Marie Vespa-Leyder 42 In Other Journals The Survey Statistician is published twice a year in English and French by the 42 Survey Methodology International Association of Survey 43 Journal of Official Statistics Statisticians and distributed to all its 45 Statistics in Transition members. Information for membership in 48 The Allgemeines Statistisches Archiv the Association or change of address for current members should be addressed to: Change of Address Form Secrétariat de l’AISE/IASS List of IASS Officers and Council Members c/o INSEE-CEFIL Att. Mme Claude Olivier List of Institutional Members 3, rue de la Cité 33500 Libourne - FRANCE E-mail: [email protected] Comments on the contents or suggestions for articles in The Survey Statistician should be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or mailed to: Leyla Mohadjer Westat 1650 Research Blvd., Room 466 Rockville, MD 20850 - USA Time goes by quickly—too quickly. It Web site. has already been four years since you elected me to succeed Kirk Wolter as I must once again thank those who are President of the IASS and two years instrumental in bringing out this publication: since I actually took up my duties. And for translations, Statistics Canada; and for already I am writing you this fourth and printing and distribution, the Australian final “Letter from the President,” before Bureau of Statistics for the English version I, in turn, yield my position to Luigi and INSEE for the French version. Biggeri at the ISI session in Berlin. Web Site This, then, is a letter of goodbye that I am sending you today. It is also a sort Following a change in assignment, Fred of summing up of these two years; it nt Vogel has asked to be relieved of his therefore includes topics that have responsibilities as Webmaster. His already been discussed in previous replacement is Eric Rancourt issues. ([email protected]). de During these two years that I was the Considering that the Internet is in general i president of our association, I believe use throughout the entire world, I think that that a number of things have been there should be a broad discussion as to accomplished, while there has been the place and role of the Survey Statistician little change for some others. What and the web site respectively, with a es could be done was achieved in particular focus on the two problems conjunction with not only the Council— mentioned above regarding the newsletter. in particular the Executive—but also This discussion could begin at the Berlin the committee chairs, some especially Session. Some have already given some Pr active and devoted members, and the thought to these topics, and the session will Secretariat. To all of them, I wish to be an opportunity to exchange viewpoints express my warmest appreciation. on the matter. But what happens after that e will be the responsibility of my successor, Survey Statistician Luigi Biggeri. You have been regularly receiving our Publications beloved Survey Statistician, of which this is the 48th issue. Somewhat In the last two years there have been more irregular in its frequency and content at publications than usual. the beginning, it has gradually found its m th place. I wish to thank the editor, Leyla Aside from the traditional publications—the Mohadjer, who has accomplished, with Survey Statistician, which I have already o consistency and discretion, a mentioned, and the Proceedings of the formidable task in terms of both format Seoul Session, prepared by the then chair and content over the past four years. of the IASS Programme Committee for that She has had her share of problems, session, David Binder, who is now Vice- and she has effectively surmounted a President of the Association, and by Eric r fr great many of them. Rancourt—two exceptional works were published: the “IASS Jubilee e After these four years, Leyla is passing Commemorative Volume – Landmark the torch, as was planned when she Papers in Survey Statistics,” prepared by a took on responsibility for the committee chaired by Gad Nathan, and tt newsletter. This issue is the last under “Leslie Kish, Selected Papers,” prepared by her watch. Our next editor will be Steve Graham Kalton and Steve Heeringa. e Heeringa ([email protected]). I L thank him for agreeing to keep the The latter work was published Survey Statistician going for the commercially by Wiley and Sons, and the coming years. Association purchased enough copies for all its members to receive one. The However, some problems remain. The Proceedings of the Seoul Session and the country reports, overall, are the object Jubilee Volume, which the Association of some criticism. Also, the “Questions- published on its own, were printed and Answers” section has been inactive for distributed to the membership by the several years now. There will be more Australian Bureau of Statistics. to say about this in connection with the The Survey Statistician 1 July 2003 I want to express hearty thanks to all those Secretary, Seppo Laaksonen. They were listed in involved in preparing these works, as well as to the the last issue of the Survey Statistician. ABS and its Director, Dennis Trewin. IAOS/IASS Joint Conference The membership directory, which could not be I have already made several references in this produced in 2001, was distributed at the end of column to the conference, organized jointly with the 2002, thanks to the contribution of INSEE. Also, the IAOS, to be held in 2004 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. ISI has just brought out a directory that includes all Because of that country’s internal situation, the members of the Institute itself and the members of IAOS President Paul Cheung and I have decided to thedifferent sections, including, for the first time, postpone the Abidjan Conference. Also, the Chair those who only belong to the IASS. of the Programme Committee, Alain Azouvi, who has devoted considerable personal effort, has not Cochran-Hansen Prize received the support needed to obtain truly The 2003 Cochran-Hansen Prize has been international validation of his scientific programme awarded to Krishna Mohan for his contribution on or to identify leaders for meetings. We have not yet “A Multilevel Approach to Explore the Influences of taken a definite position on where to go from here, Interviewers on Item Nonresponse in Complex but on this point too, we will have in-depth Surveys”. The jury assembled to analyse discussions in Berlin with the new Council and all candidates’ contributions was chaired by Chris those concerned with this conference. Skinner. I wish to thank him and his entire team for their efforts. I hope that I will see many of you in Berlin. For now, let me conclude by saying au revoir to all of Administrative Matters you. I have been both honoured and happy to The Secretariat has made new progress in preside over the Association these past two years, overhauling its membership database. We hope to and now I pass the torch to Luigi Biggeri and the take this opportunity to make the database easier Council that you have just elected, whose makeup to manage, and also to bring ourselves more in line is not yet known at the time of writing. with the principles and practices of the ISI Permanent Office in the management of its file of members of the Institute and the other sections. Berlin Session The statutory meetings of the Association will take place at the Berlin Session: ! Council, August 14, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.; CHANGE OF ADDRESS ! General Assembly, August 14, 11:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; and Members are encouraged to inform the IASS ! Executive Committee, August 19, 7:30 a.m. to Secretariat of changes of address as soon as 9:00 a.m. possible. Mailings of the proceedings of the IASS papers presented at the ISI sessions, and I hope that all Association members present in The Survey Statistician will be delayed and may Berlin will make a point of participating in the be lost if the Secretariat does not have your General Assembly. correct address. Also, the Programme Committee for the Sydney You may notify Ms. Claude Olivier of your Session, chaired by Pedro Luis do Nascimento change of address by completing and mailing Silva, will meet on August 15, from 11:15 a.m. to the Change of Address form given at the end of 1:00 p.m. As I indicated earlier, ad hoc meetings this newsletter. Alternatively, you can provide will be organized on the following two themes: the same information to Ms. Olivier by email to [email protected]. ! the Survey Statistician and the web site; and ! the IAOS/IASS Joint Conference on Poverty, Social Exclusion and Development. The place and time of these meetings will be announced on-site in Berlin.