Although the Courrier des statistiques is not intended to be a news magazine, we could not simply cast reality aside in this second issue for 2020: how does a national institute of statistics operate during a health crisis? Looking beyond the inner workings of INSEE, which are inevitably unusual during lockdown periods, it was important for its Director-General, Jean‑Luc Tavernier, to discuss the way in which the institute has adapted to enable it to play its full role in the public debate: producing new statistics, innovating in the use of new sources and in the methods used to develop new ways of analysing the economic outlook, and demonstrating agility. These cornerstones of INSEE’s strategic guidelines took on a distinct flavour in 2020.

In the next two articles, the Courrier looks at some defining topics concerning governance at the French Official Statistical Service (SSP). Dominique Bureau then brings us back to the French Official Statistics Authority (ASP), which he chairs, and reflects on the ten years that have passed since its creation. Thanks to the ASP, the tradition of independence enjoyed by the SSP, in both the production and the dissemination of its data, benefits from a regulatory framework in line with European commitments and a body responsible for monitoring its application. This requirement now extends to the area of official statistics drawn up by other bodies fulfilling public service roles. Nicole Roth and Marc Christine detail the role of the Label Committee in labelling these statistics. They also give a reminder of the way in which the Committee is involved in the more traditional area of official statistics surveys. The ASP and the Label Committee therefore work together to ensure compliance with the methodological quality and transparency standards set out in the European Statistics Code of Practice. In this age of digitisation and explosive data growth, the challenges of “qualifying” statistics have never been more important.

The next article focuses as much on data as on the way in which they are exploited: the grid system. This technique allows for an original cartographic visualisation of the statistics arising from individual data. Valérie Darriau describes how INSEE’s researcher and the local authority cartographer are able to most closely meet the research needs of those involved in the local public debate. The French experience opens up possibilities, but also raises some daunting issues when it comes to interpretation and guaranteeing confidentiality.

The article by Franck Evain on value-added indicators for high schools takes a look at the way in which a ministerial statistical office works on its communication in order to improve the “appropriate use” of the indicators it produces. Since the response to the internal management needs of an administrative body results in the development of evaluation data, those data are of interest to citizens and the media alike: the example of value-added indicators for high schools allows the pitfalls of poorly managed communication and the advantages of taking the lead in this area to be measured.

Issue N4 largely built upon the subject of microsimulation models. The article by Bryan Bellanger and Samuel Goujon offers a new contribution to the knowledge of these models, which are gaining in popularity. In the case of PRISME, the dynamic model developed by the National Pension Fund (CNAV) for pension schemes, the authors do not limit themselves to a technical presentation: they address the benefits offered by a model developed within a pension scheme with proximity to the business sphere. The model, which has gradually been extended to all pension schemes, can now be used to enlighten legislators in times of reform; something that was still fresh on the agenda in France until other current events caught up with us.

Finally, Pascal Rivière takes another look at a seemingly simple question that lies at the heart of the statistician’s profession: what is data? In order to work efficiently with data, it is important to know how to characterise them, how to understand them within their environment and, more generally, how to ensure that you explore each and every facet of this highly diverse material. In this article, the author encourages us to distance ourselves from this aspect of a statistician’s day-to-day life.