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Institut National De La Statistique Et Des éTudes éConomiques

Alright, let's dissect this dry little document. You want it… rewritten. Extended. With my particular brand of… clarity. Fine. Don't expect sunshine and rainbows. This is about facts, meticulously arranged, with just enough… atmosphere.

National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies

France's Principal Government Institution in Charge of Statistics and Census Data

Agency Overview

Formed on the 27th of April, 1946. That makes it seventy-nine years old, a fact that probably weighs heavily on its institutional soul. It emerged from the ashes of something called the Vichy regime's National Statistics Service (SNS). A rather grim lineage, wouldn't you agree?

The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, or INSEE as it's known – the French pronunciation is a soft whisper, IPA: /inse/, a stark contrast to the almost dismissive English IPA: /ˈɪnseɪ/ – is, quite simply, the national statistics bureau of France. It’s the entity that meticulously collects and then disseminates information about the French economy and its people. And yes, it’s the one that conducts the periodic national census, a task that requires a certain… unflinching gaze.

It operates in close collaboration with the Institut national d'études démographiques (INED). Two institutions, one dedicated to numbers, the other to populations. A symbiotic, perhaps even slightly unsettling, relationship.

Purpose

The INSEE shoulders the responsibility for the production and, crucially, the analysis of official statistics within France. It’s not merely a data collector; it’s an interpreter of the nation's pulse. Its most recognized duties include:

  • Organizing and publishing the national census. A monumental undertaking, mapping the very fabric of the nation.
  • Producing various indices. These are not just numbers; they are benchmarks, widely acknowledged for their quality. One such index, an inflation index, is particularly noteworthy. It dictates the rates for rents and the associated costs of construction. Imagine the ripple effect of such a figure.
  • Contributing to Eurostat. The INSEE’s statistics, when combined with those from other national agencies, form the bedrock of comparable statistics for the entire European Union. It’s the face of France in the international arena of statistics, a role it plays with what I assume is a practiced, impassive demeanor.

Organisation

The INSEE falls under the purview of MINEFI, the French Ministry of Finance. A fitting place for an institution that deals with the nation's economic arteries. Jean-Luc Tavernier currently holds the reins as director. However, Eurostat regards the INSEE as an independent body. This independence, it’s worth noting, isn't explicitly enshrined in law. A subtle tension, perhaps. A dance between perceived autonomy and governmental oversight.

Teaching and Research

The academic and research arm of the INSEE is managed by GENES, the Group of the National Schools of the Economy and Statistics. This group comprises:

  • ENSAE (ENSAE): This is a [grande école](/Grande_%C3%A9cole}, a prestigious institution that trains the administrators and engineers who will eventually staff the INSEE. They are specialists in statistics, economics, and finance. The architects of numerical understanding.
  • ENSAI: An engineering school focused on statistics and information analysis. It refines the minds that will grapple with the raw data.

Codes and Numbering System

The INSEE assigns numerical indexing codes, known as INSEE codes, to a variety of entities within France. These are not arbitrary designations; they are the digital fingerprints of the nation.

  • INSEE Codes (COG): These are allocated to administrative units, most notably the communes. It’s important to understand these are not the same as postcodes. The 'complete' code is an eight-digit string with three spaces. However, a more commonly used 'simplified' code exists, a five-digit sequence without spaces.

  • INSEE Numbers (Personal Identification): These are thirteen-digit national identification numbers assigned to individuals, followed by a two-digit key. The format is quite specific: syymmlllllooo kk.

    • s: Indicates gender. '1' for male, '2' for female for permanent numbers. '7' for male, '8' for female for temporary numbers. A subtle distinction in the very first digit.
    • yy: The last two digits of the year of birth. A direct link to temporal existence.
    • mm: The month of birth. If the birthdate is unknown, a number exceeding 20 is used. A placeholder for the unrecorded.
    • lllll: The COG code for the place of birth. Geographical anchoring.
    • ooo: An order number. This distinguishes individuals born in the same location, during the same year and month. A way to differentiate within the mass.
    • kk: The "control key." Calculated using modulo 97. A mathematical safeguard. There are, of course, exceptions for those in "particular situations." Life, as always, resists neat categorization.

  • SIREN and SIRET Codes: Businesses and non-profit associations receive SIREN codes. Their specific establishments and facilities are then assigned SIRET codes. A hierarchical system for entities of commerce and organization.

History

Before the INSEE, France’s statistical landscape was a fragmented affair.

Statistics in France Before the INSEE

The roots of the INSEE can be traced back to the 19th century. In 1833, the Statistics Bureau (Bureau de la statistique) was established under Adolphe Thiers. By 1840, it had been rebranded as the SGF, or General Statistics of France.

Under the direction of Lucien March, the SGF expanded its reach. Investigations into consumption habits began in 1907, followed by periodic inquiries into retail prices in 1911. These were early attempts to quantify the daily lives of the populace.

In 1920, Alfred Sauvy introduced competitive entrance examinations for SGF recruitment, a move to professionalize the field. But it was René Carmille, a visionary in the use of calculators, who truly laid the groundwork for the modern structure. In 1940, the Demographic Service (Service de la démographie) was created within the Ministry of Finance. Its purpose was to circumvent the limitations imposed by the June 1940 Armistice with Nazi Germany, which had restricted military recruitment. To mask its true intentions, the Demographic Service absorbed the SGF on October 11, 1941, becoming the SNS, the National Statistics Service. This reorganization saw the creation of six new offices in the Northern (occupied) zone, a regional structure that persists in the INSEE to this day.

Carmille also established an Applied Sciences School, the precursor to the current ENSAE, specifically to train members of the SNS.

Carmille, while ostensibly serving the Vichy regime, was in fact a double agent for the French underground. From his position within the SNS, he actively sabotaged the Nazi census of France, a clandestine act that undoubtedly saved countless Jewish lives from the death camps. He also leveraged his department to aid the French resistance in Algeria. His clandestine activities were eventually discovered by the Nazis, leading to his imprisonment in Dachau, where he died in 1945. A complex figure, a statistician who wielded numbers as a weapon against tyranny.

Creation of the INSEE

The SNS was ultimately transmuted into the INSEE by a law enacted on April 27, 1946. Its full, rather grand title was: "L'Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques pour la métropole et la France d'outre-mer" – the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Surveys for metropolitan France and overseas France.

IRIS

IRIS is the designation for France's unit of division of geographical regions for the purposes of taking a census. To prepare for the dissemination of the 1999 French population census, the INSEE devised a system for segmenting the country into units of uniform size. This system, initially named IRIS2000, is now simply known as 'IRIS'. The acronym stands for 'Ilots Regroupés pour l'Information Statistique' – 'aggregated units for statistical information'. The '2000' in its original name referred not only to the approaching millennium but also to the target population of 2,000 residents per basic unit.

Since 1999, IRIS has served as the fundamental unit for the dissemination of infra-municipal data in France and its overseas departments and regions. Larger towns, those with over 10,000 inhabitants, and a significant number of those between 5,000 and 10,000, are subdivided into multiple IRIS units. In total, France is comprised of approximately 16,100 IRIS units, with 650 of those located in the overseas departments.

There are three distinct types of IRIS units in use:

  • Residential IRIS: These units contain between 1,800 and 5,000 inhabitants.
  • Business IRIS: These units house more than 1,000 employees.
  • Miscellaneous IRIS: These are designated for specific, large zones that are sparsely populated and cover extensive surface areas, such as leisure parks, ports, or forests.

List of Directors

The following individuals have held the position of Director of the INSEE since its inception:

  • 1946–1961: Francis-Louis Closon
  • 1961–1967: Claude Gruson [fr]
  • 1967–1974: Jean Ripert [fr]
  • 1974–1987: Edmond Malinvaud
  • 1987–1992: Jean-Claude Milleron
  • 1992–2003: Paul Champsaur [fr]
  • 2003–2007: Jean-Michel Charpin
  • 2007–2012: Jean-Philippe Cotis [fr]
  • 2012–present: Jean-Luc Tavernier [fr]

There. A more detailed, perhaps slightly more… textured account. Did it meet your expectations? Or was it just another exercise in cataloging the mundane? Your move.