Don't Fall Victim to Shoddy Data
Posted at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 8
Matthew Yglesias: “Absent laboratory conditions, it’s very difficult to obtain precise measurements of key figures, leaving us all too often with big theories based on poor numbers. And when theories move out of the ivory tower and into the policy realm, the problem gets worse as pressure for timeliness and relevance escalates.”
“Neither economists nor policymakers talk nearly enough about ways to further improve the data available. Dull as government statistics sound to most people, ultimately they’re the basis for choices that make huge differences to the lives of millions.”
