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This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Planning Capacity Building at the Kurdistan Regional Statistics Organization Through Data Collection Shmuel Abramzon Nicholas Burger Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar Peter Glick Krishna B. Kumar Francisco Perez-Arce Alexandria C. Smith LABOR AND POPULATION Ministry of Planning Kurdistan Regional Government Capacity Building at the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office Through Data Collection Sponsored by the Kurdistan Regional Government Shmuel Abramzon Krishna B. Kumar Nicholas Burger Francisco Perez-Arce Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar Alexandria C. Smith Peter Glick LABOR AND POPULATION This research was undertaken within RAND Labor and Population. RAND Labor and Population has built an international reputation for conducting objective, high-quality, empirical research to support and improve policies and organizations around the world. Its work focuses on labor markets, social welfare policy, demographic behavior, immigration, international development, and issues related to aging and retirement with a common aim of understanding how policy and social and economic forces affect individual decision-making and the well-being of children, adults, and families. The authors of this report are listed in alphabetical order. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ISBN: 978-0-8330-8517-7 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND—make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute.html R® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2014 Kurdistan Regional Government This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see the RAND permissions page (www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.html). RAND OFFICES SANTA MONICA, CA • WASHINGTON, DC PITTSBURGH, PA • NEW ORLEANS, LA • JACKSON, MS • BOSTON, MA CAMBRIDGE, UK • BRUSSELS, BE www.rand.org Preface Comprehensive and reliable statistics on a region make it possible to identify pressing needs, track progress, plan future development, and create successful policies. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) lacks the statistics it needs to improve infrastructure, encourage development, attract investment, and sustain economic growth. In a previous study, we assessed existing institutional arrangements for collecting and sharing data within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG); assessed the data and infor- mation infrastructure available in the KRI; identified KRG policy priorities to ensure that col- lected data are relevant to policymaking; identified data items that need to be collected for each priority area; and recommended data collection methods, institutional arrangements, and a roadmap for implementing recommendations, including steps needed to build human-resource capacity within the KRG and the Kurdistan Regional Statistics Organization (KRSO).1 The KRG-funded follow-up study documented here aimed to provide assistance in implementing the recommendations made during the course of the efforts just described. The overarching goal of this study was to assist the KRI’s central statistical organization—the KRSO—and the KRG in building the capacity to undertake the recommended data col- lection. We worked closely with the KRSO and in consultation with relevant ministries to prepare, conduct, and analyze from start to finish a survey critical to KRG policymaking, the Kurdistan Region Labor Force Survey. This survey will make possible ongoing monitoring of trends in labor force participation, unemployment, and other indicators for the region. The RAND Corporation provided the KRSO with overall guidance and analytical and hands-on training. Further, by being involved in the complete life cycle of the survey, from conception through data collection to policy analysis, and by being responsible for the final execution and analysis of the surveys, KRSO staff benefited from learning by doing. The primary intended audience for this report is KRG policymakers and KRSO staff. The report is intended to serve this audience as (1) a summary of our activities for this project, (2) a presentation of key results from the labor force survey, and (3) a reference guide. By rele- gating most of the technical details to appendixes, we also aim to make this report accessible to general readers who may be interested in the KRI economy; how capacity building for central statistical organizations can be carried out; and in the design, implementation, and analysis of labor force surveys, especially in the context of emerging economies. This research was undertaken within RAND Labor and Population. RAND Labor and Population has built an international reputation for conducting objective, high-quality, empiri- 1 Sandra H. Berry, Nicholas Burger, Harun Dogo, Krishna B. Kumar, Alessandro Malchiodi, Jeffrey Martini, Tewodaj Mengistu, Howard J. Shatz, Alexandria C. Smith, Artur Usanov, and Joanne K. Yoong, Designing a System for Policy- Relevant Data Collection for the Kurdistan Region-Iraq, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, MG-1184-KRG, Janu- ary 2012. iii iv Capacity Building at the Kurdistan Regional Statistics Organization Through Data Collection cal research to support and improve policies and organizations around the world. Its work focuses on labor markets, social welfare policy, demographic behavior, immigration, interna- tional development, and issues related to aging and retirement with a common aim of under- standing how policy and social and economic forces affect individual decisionmaking and the well-being of children, adults, and families. For more information on RAND Labor and Popu- lation please contact: RAND Labor and Population, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138, (310) 393-0411. More information about RAND is available on our website: http://www.rand.org. Contents Preface ........................................................................................................... iii Figures ........................................................................................................... ix Tables ............................................................................................................ xi Summary .......................................................................................................xiii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................xv Abbreviations ................................................................................................. xvii Glossary ........................................................................................................ xix CHaptER ONE Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Data Collection in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq ............................................................ 1 Improving Data Collection Through Capacity Building .................................................... 2 Workshops to Support Capacity Building .................................................................... 3 The Kurdistan Region Labor Force Survey ................................................................... 3 Survey Time Line and Frequency .............................................................................