Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It - Couverture souple

Jerven, Morten

 
9780801478604: Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It
Couverture souple
ISBN 10 : 080147860X ISBN 13 : 9780801478604
Editeur : Cornell University Press, 2013

Synopsis

One of the most urgent challenges in African economic development is to devise a strategy for improving statistical capacity. Reliable statistics, including estimates of economic growth rates and per-capita income, are basic to the operation of governments in developing countries and vital to nongovernmental organizations and other entities that provide financial aid to them. Rich countries and international financial institutions such as the World Bank allocate their development resources on the basis of such data. The paucity of accurate statistics is not merely a technical problem; it has a massive impact on the welfare of citizens in developing countries.Where do these statistics originate? How accurate are they? Poor Numbers is the first analysis of the production and use of African economic development statistics. Morten Jerven's research shows how the statistical capacities of sub-Saharan African economies have fallen into disarray. The numbers substantially misstate the actual state of affairs. As a result, scarce resources are misapplied. Development policy does not deliver the benefits expected. Policymakers' attempts to improve the lot of the citizenry are frustrated. Donors have no accurate sense of the impact of the aid they supply. Jerven's findings from sub-Saharan Africa have far-reaching implications for aid and development policy. As Jerven notes, the current catchphrase in the development community is "evidence-based policy," and scholars are applying increasingly sophisticated econometric methods--but no statistical techniques can substitute for partial and unreliable data.

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À propos de l'auteur

Morten Jerven is Assistant Professor in the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Cornell University Press
Date d'édition
2013
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
080147860X
ISBN 13 
9780801478604
Reliure
Broché
Nombre de pages
208
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
non disponible

Autres éditions populaires du même titre

9780801451638: Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do About It

Edition présentée

ISBN 10 :  0801451639 ISBN 13 :  9780801451638
Editeur : Cornell University Press, 2013
Couverture rigide