Comment: federal statistical coordination.

Abstract

Criticism of the lack of federal statistical coordination often reflects a mixture of complaints and aspirations concerning structure of government, funding and allocations, personnel, and substantive policies. Specification of an attainable higher standard of performance for federal statistics is welcome, but it is more likely to be achieved through mobilizing users of data than by the arguments of statisticians. The needed safeguards will not come from well-intentioned fiat, but rather from judicious compromises.