This book analyses the quality of statistics such as geographic area, census population and sample survey statistics in a developing country. Using field interviews, archival sources, and secondary data covering the last seven decades, it explores the shifting relations between various kinds of statistics over their lifecycles and charts their cradle-to-grave political career. It uncovers a mutually constitutive relationship between data, development, and democracy and offers an exciting account of how government statistics are social artefacts dynamically shaped by political and economic factors. The book also quantifies the impact of data quality on the statistics of interest to policy makers such as household consumption expenditure and federal transfers. Numbers in India's Periphery makes a major contribution to the growing literature on the political economy of statistics in developing countries through a novel analysis of the shifting determinants of the nature of data in North East India.

Revision of author's thesis (doctoral)--Columbia University, 2014, titled Making it count: statistics and state-society relations in the early People's Republic of China, 1949-1959.

The system of official economic statistics in India has undergone myriad changes since Independence. There have been various developments in its administrative structures and changing levels of focus on different economic sectors. The types of datasets available for these sectors have been ever-evolving and undergo dynamic changes owing to real-time measurement and analysis using ICT. The Agricultural and Livestock Censuses capture data on the agricultural sector. For the Industries sector, Annual Survey of Industries and the Directorate of Industries in states are the two major sources of data. Since economic liberalisation in India, there has been an increased focus on the Services sector and developing a well-organised mechanism to cover it. This sector is covered by National Sample Surveys, Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ MCA-21 Database, GSTN and others. The unorganised and informal sectors of the economy also find coverage in NSS Rounds on Employment and Enterprises. The Census of India, the Economic Census, Price Indices and NSS Rounds on Consumption Expenditure, Enterprises and Employment, among others, are major sources of economic statistics as well. We also have new arrays of data for the formal sector in the form of EPFO, Direct Tax, Property Tax and others. Using this sector-wise classification of Agriculture, Industries, and Services, and also including the unorganised and informal sectors, the paper explores India’s structure of economic statistics. While the paper draws attention to recent datasets and rounds of surveys, the focus is also on the evolution of the system of official economic statistics in India. The paper highlights issues with the credibility and utility of the available data, in light of a declining GDP growth which also gives rise to more serious questions on the reliability of the country’s data architecture and system of economic statistics. It also discusses structural changes such as those of the MoSPI and NSC. The system of official economic statistics in India now faces the challenge of adapting to Information and Communication Technology. The paper thus emphasises the role of strengthening realtime and Management Information Systems’ data to enable evidence-based policymaking and planning and realise the vision of ‘New India’ and a US$ 5 trillion economy.

One of the most baffling problems in contemporary Chinese economic studies concerns the validity of official statistics. In the continuing discussion of claims and counter-claims, appeals to common sense are unconvincing. Because of the pressing need for substantial evidence on which to base a judgment, the present inquiry is an important contribution to the literature on Communist China. The book provides a quizzical but objective look at the statistical system of the country, and attempts to appraise the quality of official statistics by analyzing the development and inner working of the sytem. Its approach is broadly historical, beginning with the pre-Communist period (before 1949) and dividing the next dozen years into phases: the foundation of the state statistical system (1952 - 57), the period of decentralization (1958 - 59), and subsequent efforts at reorganization. Li's study of the development of a national statistical system in China is particularly instructive in delineating both the obstacles to such development that may be expected in a densely populated, largely agricultural country and the measure that have been adopted to overcome them. Therefore his hard-headed conclusions concerning the Chinese experience should be of lively intrest in those underdeveloped countries that are now planning or executing development programs. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.

The tools of Quantitative Techniques are essential for every Commerce and Management student of the modern business world. This book is designed according to the syllabus of MBA/PGDBA course students.

An exciting account of how government statistics in developing countries are social artefacts dynamically shaped by political and economic contexts.

This Book Has Been Written In Such A Way That The Study Of Statistics Is Made Interesting And It Has Been Oriented Towards Application Of Statistical Techniques To A Variety Of Real Life Problems. Most Of The Existing Books Discuss Application Of Statistical Techniques To Problems Such As Height And Weight, Ages Of Husband And Wife, Etc. There Is Hardly Any Book Which Is Contextually Relevant For Teaching Statistics At The Undergraduate Level. An Attempt Has Been Made In This Book To Bridge This Gap.Authors Have Introduced Varied Real Life Examples By Including A Large Number Of Solved Examples To Illustrate How Statistical Techniques Can Actually Be Applied To A Wide Variety Of Real Life Problems. Many Illustrations Have Been Drawn From Various University Examinations Also. In Addition, To Provide An Opportunity Of Students To Gain More Skills To Apply The Concepts, Large Number Of Problems Have Been Included At The End Of Each Chapter. The Book Contains Fifteen Chapters And The Concepts Have Been Discussed In A Simple Language. The Book Is Meant For Undergraduate Students Of All Indian Universities. It Will Also Serve As A Text For The Professional Examinations, Including Ca And Costing.

How do federal statistics strengthen our nation's science as well as its policy? In this latest volume of The ANNALS, leading academics, along with key federal officials, including the president's science advisor, the chief statistician of the U.S., the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the presidents of the National Academies, and the director of the Census Bureau address the argument that the statistics that the federal statistical system produces should be understood as constituting a scientific infrastructure for the empirical social sciences. Further, they see the current federal statistical system as "the best hope for bringing strong science to bear on new data sources" and "the best place to navigate unforeseen challenges in preserving the independence of statistical information from political interference." If federal statistics are the knowledge base from which policy problems and solutions emerge, it is imperative that we pay attention to the lessons they offer. Never before has this topic received this level of attention from such an array of contributors. A must read for all social scientists and policy-makers.

The publication is an international standard on the design and operation of an efficient and accurate vital statistics system at national level. It provides guidelines on collection, compiling and disseminating vital statistics. More specifically it contains (a) basic principles for a vital statistics system; (b) uses of vital statistics and civil registration records; (c) topics to be covered in a vital statistics system; (d) sources of vital statistics and how they function; (e) quality assurance in the vital statistics system and (f) strategies in improving civil registration and vital statistics systems in countries. It also informs policy makers and the general public on the importance of vital statistics and hence further improving the vital statistics system.

This book presents perspectives by eminent economists, social scientists and policy makers, exploring in depth the post-reform developments in India, including issues pertaining to growth and equity, issues which have been at the core of life-time work of Prof. R. Radhakrishna. The book brings out how some public policy instruments created to promote growth have turned out to be regressive, promoting inequalities and creating a highly asymmetric federalism in India. It examines the efficacy of fiscal and monetary reforms and also emphasises the need for strengthening the institutions of governance, particularly judiciary and police, in order to boost investors’ confidence. It presents exercises in econometric modelling for explaining factors in growth and vetting policies, and explores the issue of governance and institutions. The book provides insights into the working of an emerging economy and a large democracy which has to strive for public acceptability of the tensions of its negotiations between equity and growth. With its depth of academic excellence and breadth of topics covered, it is a ‘must read’ for researchers, policy makers, industry watchers, think tanks, and NGOs.