Is there really a statistical tragedy in Africa?Where do African statistics originate? How accurate are they? Economic historian, Morten Jerven will be deliberating stats in Africa at a debate hosted by PARIS21 and the OECD Development Centre on Friday 17 May, 11-13h. The...
Read more ›
Upcoming talks
I spoke at Royal African Society yesterday, and the scheduled talks continues next week: Monday 13 May 17:00-19:00, Oxford University, African History & Politics Seminars Wednesday 15 May 12:15-14:00, Graduate Institute Geneva Thursday 16 May 14:00-17:00, CERI & SciencesPo, Paris Friday 17 11:00-13:00, OECD...
Read more ›
Bill Gates reviews my book
Favourably and fairly I think. Bill Gates says: Yet it is clear to me that we need to devote greater resources to getting basic GDP numbers right. As Jerven argues, site national statistics offices across Africa need more support so that they can obtain...
Read more ›
Poor Numbers @ Royal African Society – Wed. 8 May, 6 PM
Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It Date & Time: Wednesday, 8 May 2013, 6-8PM Venue: Brunei Suite, SOAS Speakers: Morten Jerven, Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University. Respondent: Judith Randel, Executive Director of Development Initiatives. Chair: Dr...
Read more ›
Foreign Affairs reviews Poor Numbers
According to Nicolas van de Walle in Foreign Affairs Jerven demonstrates with devastating clarity that African governments produce imprecise economic statistics that should not be trusted. Read the full review here.
Ian Scoones on Poor Numbers
Ian Scoones reflects on my book in a two part analysis called: Dodgy data and missing measures: why good numbers matter. Read more here.
UNECA chimes in…
Carlos Lopez, cialis the executive secretary of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, seems to have read the right implications from my research in a blog post which starts: Counting matters! Statistics are the backbone of proper planning for Africa’s future... Read more here.
Pictures from the book launch in Vancouver
“African Economic Development: Measuring Success and Failure”, drug an international conference was held recently at Simon Fraser University, pharmacy Vancouver, hospital Canada. On Friday April 19 I launched the book, you can see more pictures from the launch here. Over fifty leading scholars, data...
Read more ›
Politics, Damned lies and statistics
In the latest issue of the Africa Report the editor asks: Are the reams of statistics emanating from the United Nations (UN), shop World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) mere works of fiction? Read the editorial here.
“Poor Numbers”: A Q&A with Dan Hirschman
Dan Hirschman, drugs the author of the blog asociologist.com, asks me some good questions about my book.