Statistical Indicators For the Economic and Social Sciences

We are bombarded on all fronts with statistical indicators such as weather reports, election results, inflation rates, stock market trends and current account deficits, many of which govern our lives. But what does it mean when we are told that we are three times better off than we were last year? This book tries to demystify the scientific or pseudoscientific aura that surrounds indicators and shows how they can be usefully applied for practical purposes. It explains in simple terms what indicators are, how they are developed from statistics with special objectives in mind and the ways in which they should be interpreted. The book covers a wide range of disciplines within the social sciences, from the major aspects of economics, health and education to a more specialised discussion of culture, human rights and peace research. The author examines the limitations of these indicators and reviews many alternatives. No other book on indicators is as comprehensive in the fields that it covers and as clear in its explanation of general statistical theory and the techniques by which data are transformed into usable indicators. This book should become the definitive reference on social measurement for planners in the public and volunteer agencies throughout the English-speaking world. Its theoretical base will allow research workers to develop improved indicators, and it will be of interest to researchers concerned with social measurement as well as students within the social sciences.