Lexington Books
Pages: 150
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-7936-2552-6 • Hardback • July 2022 • $90.00 • (£69.00)
978-1-7936-2553-3 • eBook • July 2022 • $45.00 • (£35.00) (coming soon)
Robert E. Parker is professor of sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Social Significance of Official Statistics
Chapter One: The BLS and the Underestimation of Unemployment
Chapter Two: The CDC and the Overestimation of Life Expectancy
Chapter Three: The FBI and the Miscalculation of Crime
Chapter Four: The Census Bureau and the Decennial Undercount
Chapter Five: Why Official Statistics Matter
“Official statistics about unemployment, life expectancy, crime, and the nation’s population are often taken for granted, just accepted as straightforward facts. Robert E. Parker’s book invites us to think critically about these numbers by examining who decides what to count, as well as the even consequences of those choices for society’s members.”
— Joel Best, The University of Delaware
“Providing a data infrastructure is one of the functions of the US government. Parker provides a timely warning that government data can be politicized to the detriment of everyone.”
— Teresa A. Sullivan, University of Virginia