Morten Jerven Morten Jerven

A reading list for the data revolution

If you have sat through more than two conferences and workshops on the post-2015 development agenda or the Sustainable Development Goals (or tracked #SDGs or #data2015 on Twitter) you will be aware that there is a certain repetition of ideas. The same soundbites are...
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Whose numbers?

That's the title of an article written by Adewale Maja-Pearce. He takes stock of the debate on Poor Numbers (between me and some representatives from some statistical offices) - and relates it to the problems of counting people in Nigeria - well worth a...
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“Nigeria is not a poor country”

“Nigeria is not a poor country”, President Goodluck Jonathan declared earlier this month in response to a World Bank report which listed Nigeria among the five poorest countries in the world. The claim is wrong and misleading says Taiwo Obe, writing for Africa Check.

Recalculating Kenya’s GDP

Nic Cheeseman writes about the new GDP numbers in Kenya. They are not ready yet, viagra and the jump in GDP will not be as big as they were in Nigeria or Ghana. As in Nigeria and Ghana the new numbers will not make...
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Interview with Jeune Afrique

I talk about why I think the emphasis  (taken by some journalists) on 'lies, damned lies and statistics' can distract us from simple but real knowledge problem. Read it here.

Nigeria Rebases GDP

The announcement is expected to be made on Sunday. It has been expected any day now for almost three years, pilule so it is about time. As I documented in Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do...
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