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Registration for the RSS Statistics User Forum annual conference is now open. Date: Thursday, 19 November 2009 (09:30am-5pm, followed by reception) Venue: Royal Society, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG The topic is "The measurement of progress" The world is changing. The financial crisis has shown that the gains from an excessive focus on debt-fuelled economic growth were short-lived and failed to deliver a sustainable increase in well-being. The pursuit of ever larger economies led to environmental degradation and global imbalances rather than a reduction in poverty, an increase in social justice or a happier society. Post-recession, leaders and their electorates will strive for a greater focus on sustainability to ensure that future gains will be longer-lasting. But what will be the new goals and how will progress towards them be monitored? This major conference in London, organised by the Royal Statistical Society's Statistics User Forum, will bring together leading players, from the UK and overseas to discuss "The measurement of progress". The conference will hear from representatives of the Sarkozy Commission that reported in September and the OECD-led Global Project on measuring progress. British government statisticians will outline their plans and producers of other data will present their innovations. The conference will look at the national picture and consider what data local communities can get their hands on to inform decision-making. The original aim of the Royal Statistical Society when it was formed 175 years ago was "the collection and classification of all facts illustrative of the present condition and prospects of society". This conference will showcase the new wave of pioneers mapping out society for the next generation and highlight the statistical issues that need to be addressed. The conference will appeal to a broad audience: statisticians and non-statisticians working in think tanks, central and local government and community groups, and those interested in setting the policy agenda and influencing public debate in the years ahead. Programme below. A link to download the conference leaflet (PDF) and registration form in (PDF and Word) is at http://www.rss.org.uk/sufconference Contact: Andrew Garratt Tel: 020 7614 3920 Email: [log in to unmask] PROGRAMME Morning session (1) Role of official statistics in a democratic society Sir Michael Scholar, UK Statistics Authority Summary of October progress conference in South Korea Enrico Giovannini, ISTAT (Italian Statistics) What was Sarkozy/Stiglitz Commission all about? Paul Schreyer, OECD (Acting head of statistics) Morning session (2) The UK response to the changing agenda Paul Allin, Deputy Director, Office for National Statistics UK plans for sustainable development indicators Stephan Hall, Head SDI, Department for Environment and Rural Affairs Welsh developments Speaker to be confirmed "Scotland performs" the current offering and where is it going Mairi Spowage, Scottish Government Happy Planet Index and national accounts of well-being Speaker to be confirmed, New Economics Foundation Afternoon session (1) What is 'The State of the USA'? Chris Hoenig - via video, SUSA What should be the framework for government policy post-recession? Geoff Mulgan, Director, Young Foundation (Former head strategy unit and PM office, founder Demos) Afternoon session (2) Neighbourhood statistics plans Speaker from the Office for National Statistics The local perspective Local government speaker to be confirmed Closing debate Introductory remarks: Role of data in public sector decision making and improving democracy David Walker, Audit Commission Followed by conference reception ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email ______________________________________________________________________