TY  - BOOK
AU  - Jerven,Morten
TI  - Poor numbers: how we are misled by African development statistics and what to do about it 
T2  - Cornell studies in political economy
SN  - 9780801467608
AV  - HC800 .P667 2013
PY  - 2013///
CY  - Ithaca
PB  - Cornell University Press
KW  - Economic development
KW  - Africa, Sub-Saharan
KW  - Statistics
KW  - National income
KW  - Africa, Southern
KW  - Accounting
KW  - Economic indicators
KW  - Electronic Books
N1  - 2; What do we know about income and growth in Africa? --; Measuring African wealth and progress --; Facts, assumptions and controversy : lessons from the datasets --; Data for development : a guide to African development statistics --; Conclusion : development by numbers; 2; b
N2  - "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."--Publisher's website
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ER  -