At the core of the usefulness of official statistics lies the credibility and confidence that society places on the producers of information. When there is suspicion that some authority has yielded to the temptation to pressure the producers of information to alter their results, to postpone their broadcast or indeed to keep them from being known, doubt will be cast on all the information disseminated by the producers and by their peers. Among other proposals to face such confidence crises, the provision of some degree of autonomy to a statistical authority and/or one or more of the producers of official information has been raised. It is no coincidence that the very first of the fifteen principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice is Professional Independence.

In this paper a brief account of the path followed by Mexico to the autonomy of INEGI, the Mexican NSO, toward to the creation of the National Statistical and Geographic Information System (SNIEG). The most relevant aspects of the model of autonomy, as reflected in the relevant Act, are detailed, as well as the experience gained in implementing the legal provisions discussed. Finally, we draw some general conclusions as suggestions.

Keywords: Official Statistics; Autonomy; Confidence

Biography: Eduardo Sojo's professional life is divided into two areas: public service and academia.

He was Chief of Staff of President Fox, Economic Advisor to Felipe Calderόn during his presidential bid, and member of their transition teams.

He served as Chief of the Presidential Office for Public Policy and Coordinator of the Economic Cabinet, 2000-2006, and as Secretary of Economy, 2006-2008.

Regarding academia, he was full-time lecturer and researcher at the Instituto Tecnolόgico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and research analyst of the Link Project at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint publications with the Nobel Prize in Economics, Lawrence Klein, on the combination of econometric and time-series models.

His recent publications include the books: “From alternation to development” and “From alternation to development”

He is currently Chairman of the Board of Governors of Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography.

He was born in Leon, Guanajuato, January 9, 1956.