Welcome to Matt Berkley’s website.
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I am a Matt Berkley who’s based in England.
One of my interests is
in large-scale social science.
I’ve
been questioning aspects of this especially since 2000, when I found
economists claimed to know average outcomes for the poorest without
looking at how many survived. In some countries average
incomes rose and life expectancy fell due to AIDS. The
average rise is not the same thing as the rise in the average.
I also found economists saying they had data on economic
benefits to the poorest without looking at any relevant prices.
Strangely, these kinds of errors seemed to be widespread in
international development policy discussions among academics,
journalists politicians and charities.
….
Questioning
social science
Benn
and UN experts differ over global food needs
In 2006 the UK
Secretary of State claimed global poverty trend without looking at
food needs. 22 February 2006.
A
non-economist's view of some World Bank aims, reporting and policy
research
Traditional macroeconomists’ claims about
prosperity and policies have structural biases against long life,
cheap food, and ownership of land. (2004)
The
survival error in social science goes beyond economics
An
error in some Millennium Goal indicators reveals the inadequacy of
social science education. 5 February 2006.
Social
science and government aims
Proposed
standards for large-scale goals and research. Explains
distinctions: income and profit, prices and cost of living, rise in
average and average rise, etc. Standards are necessary for
meaningful discussion of future aims and past evidence.
2006.
Five
axioms, four puzzles and four suggestions on hunger in the human
species
Puzzling features of global statistics may be
partially due to social scientists’ errors. Axioms needed.
(2004)
Discoverer
of global poverty error calls for statistics on survival
Economists forgot average food needs are rising. Article in
Addis Tribune (week of 28 November 2003).
Thoughts
on the adequacy of social science
Correspondence and other
documents 2000-3. With quotations from others making similar
points. It is necessary to look at survival rates when
adding up outcomes.
An
error in the “poverty reduction” debate and in traditional
economic analysis
Error
is to claim to have added up individuals’ progress among the
poorest while ignoring death rates. 3 August 2000.
Inflation
and poverty
Challenges
part of the idea, common among economists, that income measures
profit. (2003)
Economics
is not utilitarian
Economists need to
learn difference between “the average rise” and “the rise in
the average”. Contributor “pqwo” is me.
(2002)
Economics
of survival
Letter to Professor Jeffrey
Sachs as Chairman of the World Health Organisation Commission on
Macroeconomics and Health. Survival data are needed for adding
up progress of individuals. 11 April 2001.
25:
A tool for understanding global goals and statistics
Quick way of assessing politicians’ goals and claims. 21 January 2006.
New
draft list of standards for large-scale goals and social science
reporting
Similar list to “25” with more detail.
21 January 2006.
Statistics and survival Letter to editor of the Economist. October 2001.
Why macroeconomics is not utilitarian (longer article from 2003)
New directions in development economics: How to make the Millennium Goal on poverty effective, 2003
The
wealth of persons
Documents from 2003 with some information
about me, and possibly a few things I no longer believe.
Numbering system for guitar tunings and other uses
Contact details
Unit 164, 266 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DL, England
+44 (0)7868 397699
..
This page updated 9 Sep 2008 (link to Addis Tribune article updated).