Quantifying the World: UN Ideas and Statistics

Front Cover
Indiana University Press, Apr 6, 2004 - Political Science - 352 pages

Good data, Michael Ward argues, serve to enhance a perception about life as well as to deepen an understanding of reality. This history of the UN's role in fostering international statistics in the postwar period demonstrates how statistics have shaped our understanding of the world. Drawing on well over 40 years of experience working as a statistician and economist in more than two dozen countries around the world, Ward traces the evolution of statistical ideas and how they have responded to the needs of policy while unraveling the question of why certain data were considered important and why other data and concerns were not. The book explores the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the UN's statistical work and how each dimension has provided opportunities for describing the well-being of the world community. Quantifying the World also reveals some of the missed opportunities for pursuing alternative models.

 

Selected pages

Contents

Prologue
1
An Introduction
23
2 The Economic Dimension
63
3 The Social Dimension
140
4 The Environmental Dimension
204
5 Other Statistical Dimensions
227
Success Missed Opportunities and theContinuing Agenda in Statistics
260
ILO Special Topics
273
Notes
281
Index
311
About the Author
327
About the UN Intellectual History Project
329
Copyright

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Michael Ward
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Michael Ward
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Michael Ward
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Common terms and phrases

agencies agenda aggregate analysis Angus Maddison approach areas assess basic classification collection compilation concepts concern costs country’s defined demographic developing countries economic activity economic and social employment environmental Environmental Accounting established estimates framework gender global groups growth household human ideas identify impact important income individual industrial influence initiatives institutional international statistical International Statistical Institute issues labor measures ment methodology monitoring national accounts national statistical nomic observed OECD official organization outcomes output particular people’s perspective policymakers political population poverty priorities problems procedures production programs progress quantify questions rates recognized relevant Report Richard Stone role sampling sector socioeconomic specific standards Statistical Commission Statistical Office statistical system statisticians structure surveys technical tion tional trade U.S. dollar UN’s UNDP UNICEF United Nations UNRISD UNSO well-being women World Bank

About the author (2004)

Michael Ward graduated with combined honors in economics and statistics from the University of Exeter and with an M.A. from the University of Cambridge. His first appointment was as an official statistician in Central Africa, where he acquired the basics of the craft of data collection in the field. He is past Director of Studies in Economics and Dean of Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, and a former Principal Economist in Operations (Southeast Asia) and Policy at the World Bank. Mr. Ward has authored many articles and official reports in both applied economics and statistics and has published several books. In 1999, in Helsinki, he was awarded the Henry Methorst Medal of the International Statistical Institute for "outstanding contributions to international statistics." In 2000, he was elected Chair of the International Association for Research in Income and Wealth and currently serves on its Council. He is also on the Statistical Advisory Panel for the Human Development Report.

Bibliographic information

TitleQuantifying the World: UN Ideas and Statistics
Quantifying the World
United Nations Intellectual History Project Series
AuthorMichael Ward
PublisherIndiana University Press, 2004
ISBN025311084X, 9780253110848
Length352 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Political Science / World / General
  
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