text: must bt! simplified and summarized in order to be useful to many con­ sumers. 80. It was perhaps impossible to quantify the benefits of a statistical system. However, an attempt could be made to identify and locate the benefits by referring to the results of the planning process, since the statistical data were a major input to that process. 81. The Expert Group cited several limitations of statistical informa­ tion systems which should be taken into account when using their data. Because of a gap in communication, data were not always collected with the specific needs of users in mind. Censuses were costly and produced information slowly. Surveys did not usually collect adequate information about small geographical areas. 82. Since social statistics measured human behaviour, they could not be as precisely defined or elicited as data in the field of economics or the physical sciences. Administrative records from different agencies often did not use the same definitions or data classifications. Finally, data systems could provide information only on past behaviour, whereas planners necessarily worked in the realm of the future. E. DEVELOPMENT OF INDICATORS APPROPRIATE TO THE ASIAN AND PACIFIC REGION 83. The Expert Group repeatedly stressed that development indicators which merely followed Western or other international standards were of limited value. There was a strong requirement to develop indicators which were relevant to the national goals and developmental contexts of countries in the ESCAP region. The population of that region was 73 per cent rural and a majority of it was engaged in agriculture. Indi­ cators in those countries must be designed to measure changes relevant to their population. There was an expressed need for greater measure­ ment of agricultural productivity, land ownership and landlessness, irrigation, rural services, and so on. 20 84. The Group also stated that ESCAP countries should not repeat 
analysis: The text discusses the development of statistical systems and indicators in the Asian and Pacific region, highlighting the limitations of existing systems and the need for indicators that are relevant to the national goals and developmental contexts of countries in the region. The text also emphasizes the importance of measuring changes related to agriculture, rural services, and land ownership, which suggests a focus on economic development and agriculture.