Making It Count

Making It CountDiscover the revolutionary insights in 'Making It Count,' a compelling trade paperback published by Princeton University Press in 2022. This essential read, authored by Arunabh Ghosh, dives deep into a critical period in China's history post World War II. The book focuses on the profound challenges faced by China's leaders as they strived to reengineer their society and economy during a time of significant uncertainty and minimal statistical data.

Discover the revolutionary insights in 'Making It Count,' a compelling trade paperback published by Princeton University Press in 2022. This essential read, authored by Arunabh Ghosh, dives deep into a critical period in China's history post-World War II. The book focuses on the profound challenges faced by China's leaders as they strived to reengineer their society and economy during a time of significant uncertainty and minimal statistical data. 'Making It Count' meticulously documents the 'crisis in counting' that shaped early policies in the People's Republic of China, exploring the complex interplay between politics, statistics, and societal transformation.

With a rich array of sources from China, India, and the United States, Ghosh illuminates the pivotal decisions made by political leaders and statisticians who sought to quantify and understand the fabric of the nation. As China transitioned away from Soviet-inspired enumeration methods, the book highlights significant collaborations with Indian statisticians that brought forth innovative random sampling techniques.

Set against the chaotic backdrop of the Great Leap Forward, Ghosh's narrative not only captures the evolution of statistical practices but also emphasizes the importance of global influences in the development of data and statistics. Aimed at scholars and enthusiasts of history, sociology, and data science, 'Making It Count' offers a fresh lens through which to view the synthesis of statistics and statecraft in modern China. Navigate the journey of how knowledge shaped a nation and dive into the discussions that continue to resonate today.