More than 200 scholars ask govt to release Consumer Expenditure Survey data

A group of 214 scholars, largely economists, working around the world have written an open letter asking the Centre to release all reports and data from the National Sample Survey Office that have been internally approved.

The statement comes in light of the Modi government recently saying that it will not be releasing the Survey of Consumer Expenditure, 2017-18 because of “data quality” issues. A leaked version of the report shows that it paints a rather unflattering picture of India’s economy, which the government may not want to have in the public domain.

The leaked National Statistical Office (NSO) survey, titled ‘Key Indicators: Household Consumer Expenditure in India’, reportedly shows that the average amount of money spent by an Indian in a month fell by 3.7% to Rs 1,446 in 2017-18 from Rs 1,501 in 2011-12.

The statement is signed by renowned economists including Nobel laureate Angus Deaton, Thomas Piketty, Prabhat Patnaik, Barbara Harris-White, Ashwini Deshpande, Jayati Ghosh and others. They have said that the Centre has “repeatedly shown its disinclination to make public any information that may show its own performance in a poor light” and urged the government to release all data “without delay and irrespective of what the results are”.

The full text of the statement and list of signatories is reproduced below.

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We the undersigned demand that the Government of India releases the report and data of all NSSO Surveys that have been completed and approved by the NSSO’s internal systems, including the results of the 75th round Survey of Consumer Expenditure, 2017-18.

A media leak published in Business Standard has revealed that the 2017-18 Consumer Expenditure Survey shows a sharp decline in average consumption. It has been suggested that the survey results are not being released because they support other evidence that the economy is experiencing a downturn. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has now announced that the results of the survey will not be released at all, because they show a higher divergence with the “administrative data” than for earlier surveys.

It should be noted that consumption surveys are known to give results that diverge from macroeconomic estimates of the National Accounts. Also, National Accounts estimates are based not only on administrative data but on a combination of sources including NSSO and other surveys. Several committees have looked into these discrepancies. While further work can be done to identify sources of and reduce these discrepancies, the common understanding has been that the flaws lie as much in the methods deployed for arriving at macroeconomic estimates as they do in surveys.

Consumption surveys are crucial for monitoring trends in poverty and inequality, and are also of critical value for national income accounting, and for updating macro-economic data such as price indices. They can provide an important check on administrative and macroeconomic data, which is important both for policy makers and the general public. The fact that data on supply of goods and household consumption are diverging points to the need for questioning supply side data (which are being widely questioned within and outside India) as much as it points to the continuing need for improving survey methods.

It is of fundamental importance for the nation that statistical institutions are kept independent of political interference, and are allowed to release all data independently. The record of the present government on this score has been very poor. Until recently, India has good cause to be proud of its statistical system, and the sample surveys conducted by the NSSO have served as a shining example and a model to the rest of the world. While there has been much discussion and debate about the methodology of the surveys, these have been scientific and technical in nature, devoted to trying to improve the system to enable better measures of crucial indicators.

However, this government has chosen to attack the credibility of this pre-eminent statistical institution simply because the results of the surveys do not accord with its own narrative about the economy, without providing any adequate reasons, and by misrepresenting essential features of the surveys. It has repeatedly shown its disinclination to make public any information that may show its own performance in a poor light. Last year, before the parliamentary elections, the results of the Periodic Labour Force Survey were not allowed to be released until the parliamentary elections were over, despite the resignation of two members of the National Statistical Commission, and a leak in the media. Subsequently, results of other surveys including the 75th round (Consumer Expenditure), 76th round (Drinking water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Housing Conditions) and more recent quarterly data of the PLFS surveys, have not been released.

This suppression of essential data is terrible for accountability and for ensuring that citizens have the benefit of official data collection that is paid for with their taxes. It is also counterproductive for the government, which may be kept in the dark about actual trends in the economy and therefore not be able to devise appropriate policies. Undermining the objectivity and credibility of an independent statistical system is fundamentally against the national interest.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, all data must be released without delay and irrespective of what the results are. The government may wish to defend itself against interpretations of the statistics that it disagrees with. But this is best done through technical papers and seminars. To prevent release of data that are adverse, and diverge from its own understanding, is neither transparent nor technically sound.

Indeed, in order to produce transparent and robust information on distribution, it is also important for the government to grant researchers access to (anonymous) tax microfiles.

We therefore demand that the government should immediately release the report and unit-level data of the 75th Consumer Expenditure Survey. The government should also commit to release all other survey data after the usual processes to check for possible errors have been concluded.

Signed

1. A Vaidyanathan, Former Member, Planning Commission
2. A K Shiva Kumar, Ashoka University
3. A V Jose, Visiting Fellow, CDS, Thiruvananthapuram
4. Abhijit Sen, former Member, Planning Commission
5. Abhirup Sarkar, ISI Kolkata
6. Achin Chakraborty, IDS, Kolkata
7. Aditya Bhattacharjea, Delhi School of Economics
8. Aijaz Ahmad, University of California, Irvine
9. Ajit Zacharias, Levy Institute, Bard College, New York
10. Alejo Julca, Independent researcher
11. Alex M. Thomas, Azim Premji University
12. Alicia Puyana, Flacso, Mexico City
13. Alpa Shah, London School of Economics
14. Aman Bardia, New School for Social Research, New York.
15. Amit Basole, Azim Premji University
16. Amit Bhaduri, Emeritus Professor, JNU
17. Amitabha Bhattacharya
18. Amiti Sen, Journalist
19. Amiya Bagchi, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
20. Anamitra Roychowdhury, JNU
21. Andres Lazzarini, Goldsmiths University, London
22. Angus Deaton, Princeton University
23. Anita Dixit, Pratichi Institute
24. Anjana Thampi, IWWAGE, New Delhi
25. Anup Sinha Retired Professor of Economics IIM Calcutta
26. Anwar Shaikh, New School for Social Research
27. Arindam Banerjee, AUD, Delhi
28. Arjun Jayadev, Azim Premji University
29. Arthur MacEwan, University of Massachusetts Boston
30. Ashok Kotwal, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
31. Ashwini Deshpande, Ashoka University
32. Astha Ahuja, University of Delhi
33. Atul Sood, JNU
34. Atul Sarma, Visiting Professor, ISID, New Delhi
35. Atulan Guha, IIM, Kashipur
36. Ayushya Kaul, Jamia Millia Islamia
37. Avinash Kumar, JNU
38. Awanish Kumar, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
39. B Srujana, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
40. Barbara Harriss-White, Emeritus Professor, Oxford University, and Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford
41. Ben Fine, SOAS
42. Bhanoji Rao, Governing Board Member, GITAM and IFHE Universities
43. Bharat Ramaswami, ISI Delhi
44. Bibhas Saha, Durham University
45. Bindu Oberoi, University of Delhi
46. Biswajit Dhar, JNU
47. Byju, V, Thiruvananthapuram
48. C P Chandrasekhar, Retired Professor, JNU
49. C Saratchand, University of Delhi
50. Carlo Cafiero, Senior Statistician, FAO
51. Chalapati Rao KS, ISID, Delhi
52. Chirashree Das Gupta, JNU
53. Chris Baker, Editor, Siam Society
54. Chrostophe Jeffrelot, Sciences Po and King’s College London
55. D Narasimha Reddy, University of Hyderabad
56. D Narayana, Former Director, Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation
57. Daniela Gabor, University of West England, Bristol
58. David Kotz, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
59. Debabrata Pal, JNU
60. Debraj Ray, New York University
61. Deepak K Mishra, JNU
62. Dev Nathan, Institute for Human Development
63. Devaki Jain, ISST, New Delhi
64. Devika Dutt, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
65. Dilip Mookherjee, Boston University
66. Dinesh Abrol, ISID, Delhi
67. Dipa Sinha, AUD
68. Dipankor Coondoo, Retired Professor, ISI
69. Dipankar Dey, Dept of Business Management, Calcutta University
70. Ahmet Tonak, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
71. E Bijoykumar Singh, Manipur University
72. Emanuele Citera, The New School For Social Research
73. Farzana Afridi, ISI, Delhi
74. Francesco Saraceno, Sciences Po
75. Gaurav Khanna, University of California, San Diego
76. Giovanni Andrea Cornia, University of Florence
77. Hanjabam Isworchandra Sharma, Manipur University
78. Haroon Akram-Lodhi, Trent University, Canada
79. Hema Swaminathan, IIM Bangalore
80. Himanshu, JNU
81. Indra Nath Mukherji, JNU
82. Indraneel Dasgupta, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
83. Indranil Chowdhury, University of Delhi
84. Indranil Mukhopadhyay, OP Jindal University
85. Ingrid Kvangraven, York University
86. Iqbal Singh, Akal University, Bathinda
87. Ishan Anand, Ambedkar University, Delhi
88. Ishita Mukhopadhyay, University of Calcutta
89. Mohan Rao, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
90. Jan Breman, University of Amsterdam
91. Jan Kregel, Levy Institute
92. Jason Hickel, Goldsmith College, London
93. Jayan Jose Thomas, Economist, New Delhi
94. Jayati Ghosh, JNU
95. Jens Lerche, SOAS
96. Jesim Pais, SSER
97. John Harriss, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
98. Jose Antonio Ocampo, Columbia University
99. Joydeep Baruah, OKD Institute of Social Change and Development, Guwahati
100. Kalyani Menon-Sen, Feminist Learning Partnerships
101. Kathleen McAfee, San Francisco State University
102. K J Joseph, Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation
103. K N Harilal, Member, Kerala State Planning Board
104. K Nagaraj, Retired Professor, MIDS
105. K P Kannan, Retired Professor, CDS
106. K V Ramaswamy, IGIDR
107. Kumarjit Mandal, University of Calcutta
108. Kunibert Raffer, retired Associate Professor, University of Vienna
109. Lawrence King, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
110. Lucas Chancel, Co-Director, World Inequality Lab
111. M S Bhatta, Retired Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia
112. M S Sriram, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
113. M Vijayabaskar, MIDS
114. Maitreesh Ghatak, LSE
115. Mahalaya Chatterjee, Calcutta University
116. Malabika Majumdar, Retd. Professor, University of Delhi
117. Mandira Sarma, JNU
118. Martin Ravallion, Georgetown University
119. Mary E John, CWDS
120. Mira Shiva, Public Health Physician
121. Mridul Eapen, Member, Kerala State Planning Board
122. Mritiunjoy Mohanty, IIM, Kolkata
123. Mustafa Özer, Anadolu University
124. Mwangi wa Githinji – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
125. Nalini Nayak, SEWA, Kerala
126. Naveed Ahmad, Department of higher education Jammu and Kashmir (cluster University Srinagar)
127. Narender Thakur, University of Delhi
128. Nisha Biswas, Scientist
129. Nishith Prakash, University of Connecticut
130. Nitin Sethi, Independent journalist
131. Oliver Braunschweig, The New School for Social Research
132. Padmini Swaminathan, independent researcher, Chennai
133. Parthapratim Pal, IIM Calcutta
134. Pasuk Phongpaichit, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
135. Prabhat Patnaik, Emeritus Professor, JNU
136. Pranab Bardhan, University of California, Berkeley
137. Pranab Kanti Basu, Retired Professor, Visva Bharati University
138. Praveen Jha, JNU
139. Priya Mukherjee, William & Mary, Virginia
140. Pulin B Nayak, Retired Professor of Economics, Delhi School of Economics
141. R Nagaraj, IGIDR
142. R Ramakumar, TISS
143. R V Ramana Murthy, University of Hyderabad
144. Ragupathy, Goldsmiths University, London
145. Rahul Roy, ISI, Delhi
146. Rajah Rasiah, University of Malaya
147. Rajesh Madan, Noida
148. Rajeswari Sengupta, IGIDR
149. Rajesh Bhattacharya, IIM, Kolkata
150. Rajiv Jha, University of Delhi
151. Rakesh Ranjan, University of Delhi
152. Ramaa Vasudevan, Colorado State University
153. Rammanohar Reddy, Editor, The India Forum, and Visiting Professor, Goa University
154. Ranjan Ray, Monash University
155. Ranjini Basu, Focus on the Global South
156. Ratan Khasnabis, Adamas University, and Retired Professor, Calcutta University
157. Ravindran Govindan, Laurie Baker Center for Habitat Studies, Trivandrum
158. Ritu Dewan, Director (retd), Dept of Economics, University of Mumbai
159. Rohit Azad, JNU
160. Romar Correa, University of Mumbai
161. Rosa Abraham, Azim Premji University
162. Runa Sarkar, IIM Calcutta
163. S Krithi, TISS, Hyderabad
164. Sagari R Ramdas, Food Sovereignty Alliance
165. Saikat Sinha Roy, Jadavpur University
166. Samarjit Das, ISI, Kolkata
167. Sanjay Reddy, The New School for Social Research
168. Santosh Das, ISID, New Delhi
169. Saradindu Bhaduri, JNU
170. Sarmistha Pal, Surrey Business School
171. Satish Deshpande, Delhi University
172. Satyaki Roy, ISID, Delhi
173. Saumyajit Bhattacharya, Delhi University
174. Seema Kulkarni, SOPPECOM, Pune
175. Servaas Storm, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
176. Shambhu Ghatak, Senior Associate Fellow, Inclusive Media for Change
177. Shantanu De Roy, TERI University
178. Shiney Chakraborty, ISST, New Delhi
179. Shipra Nigam, Consultant Economist, New Delhi
180. Shouvik Chakraborty, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
181. Shyjan Davis, University of Calicut
182. Siwan Anderson, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
183. Smita Gupta, Economist
184. Smitha Francis, ISID, New Delhi
185. Snehashish Bhattacharya, SAU
186. Sona Mitra, IWWAGE, New Delhi
187. Stefano Zambelli, Provincial University of Trento
188. Suchetana Chattopadhyay, Jadavpur University.
189. Subin Dennis, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
190. Sudhir Kumar Suthar, JNU
191. Sudip Chaudhuri, IIM, Kolkata
192. Sudipta Bhattacharyya, Visva Bharati
193. Sujata Patel, NIS, Shimla
194. Sukanta Bhattacharya, University of Calcutta
195. Sushil Khanna, IIM, Kolkata
196. Sripad Motiram, University of Massachusetts Boston
197. Sunanda Sen, Retired Professor, JNU
198. Surajit Das, JNU
199. Surajit Mazumdar, JNU
200. Suresh Aggarwal, Former Professor, Department of Business Economics, University of Delhi
201. Suranjan Gupta, New Delhi
202. T Sabri Öncü, Former Head of Research, CAFRAL
203. Takahiro Sato, Kobe University
204. Taposik Banerjee, Ambedkar University, Delhi
205. Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics
206. Upasak Das, University of Pennsylvania
207. Utsa Patnaik, Emerita Professor, JNU
208. Uttam Bhattacharya, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
209. Vamsi Vakulabharanam, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
210. Velupillai Kumaraswamy, former Professor, University of Trento and New School University
211. Venkatesh B Athreya, Professor of Economics (Retired), Bharathidasan University
212. Vikas Rawal, JNU
213. Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj India, and former member, UGC
214. Yoshifumi Usami, University of Tokyo

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