The many definitions of a Covid-19 death toll
Photo by Dan Burton on UnsplashThis note considers the different measures of the death toll…
Simon BriscoeMay 13, 2020
What to make of the coronavirus “mortality rate”? Communicating risk effectively
Photo by Markus Spiske on UnsplashLanguage is powerful, and how we use it subconsciously shapes…
The challenges for GDP, now and in the future
When Professor Sir Charlie Bean published his review of UK economic statistics in March, he…
Diane CoyleApril 25, 2016
How happiness is challenging GDP as the measure of a country’s health
Denmark reclaimed its place as the happiest country in the world, according to the latest…
Paul AnandMarch 23, 2016
What do we mean when we say ‘better data’?
Statistics play an important role in improving human lives, not least through helping to identify…
Maitha Al Junaibi and Karl Royce AshworthDecember 1, 2015
How to communicate the uncertainty in economic statistics
Government statistical agencies often report official economic statistics as point estimates. Buried within the documents…
Charles ManskiSeptember 22, 2015
How do you measure disaster risk?
In September this year, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will come to an end…
Julia HallAugust 25, 2015
Tinkering with how we measure child poverty won’t help end it
There has been no real change in the proportion of children living in poverty in…
Jonathan BradshawJuly 1, 2015
Is innovation faltering – or is GDP?
In a recent New York Times column, economist Paul Krugman raises the spectre of a…
Andrew WhitbyJune 23, 2015
Syrian chemical warfare and Obama welfare cuts: measurement, retirement and war
A recent New York Times article stated that U.S. officials believe the Syrian government has…
Michael A. LewisApril 29, 2013
RPI versus CPI: what’s the difference? Why does it matter? Will it make you poorer or richer?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is topping the headlines in all the UK media…
Julian ChampkinJanuary 10, 2013
