“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

In this slim, well-written, and thoughtful volume, Parker demonstrates the concerning misuse, misrepresentation, and politicization of statistics generated by various federal agencies. This is not a how-to book for statistics, but a critical review of how statistics are created and what political, economic, and social consequences these socially constructed data have. Parker devotes the bulk of the text to critical analyses of the statistics and consequent problems created by four agencies: the Bureau of Labor Statistics and its underestimation of unemployment; the Centers for Disease Control and its overestimation of life expectancy; the FBI and its miscalculation of crime; and the Census Bureau and its decennial population undercount. As one can infer from these topic outlines, Parker is critical of the neoliberal philosophy underlying these data and the negative consequences they have for minority groups. His book makes clear the policy stakes of federal statistics for the lives of everyone, especially the disadvantaged. This book is recommended for undergraduates and general readers.

Choice Reviews