{"product_id":"poor-numbers-morten-jerven-9780801451638","title":"Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne 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? \u003ci\u003ePoor Numbers\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Morten Jerven\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0801451639\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780801451638\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Cornell University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/24\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.10w x 1.30d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2013","brand":"Morten Jerven","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086869475583,"sku":"9780801451638","price":145.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_86a739a6-8f00-422c-bb33-93a232d264c5.jpg?v=1769097053","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/poor-numbers-morten-jerven-9780801451638","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}