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Counting

How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters
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( 304 ratings, 51 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Counting by Deborah Stone explores how numbers play a crucial role in shaping politics and public policy. The book delves into the powerful and sometimes manipulative use of statistics, demonstrating how numbers can influence decisions and perceptions. With a keen eye, Stone reveals the political intent embedded in what may seem to be objective numerical data.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are fascinated by how numbers and statistics shape political arguments and influence public policy. It delves into the powerful role that counting plays in politics and current affairs, questioning the neutrality of numbers and showcasing how they can be manipulated to serve various agendas. If you're keen on understanding the hidden stories behind numerical data in governance, this book could be an intriguing read.

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The best-selling author of Policy Paradox, a classic on politics, delivers a path-breaking work on the simple act of counting.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In a post-Trumpian world where COVID rates soar and Americans wage near-civil war about election results, Deborah Stone's Counting promises to transform how we think about numbers.

Contrary to what you learned in kindergarten, counting is more art than arithmetic. In fact, numbers are just as much creatures of the human imagination as poetry and painting; the simplest tally starts with judgments about what counts.

In a nation whose Constitution originally counted a slave as three-fifths of a person and where algorithms disproportionately consign Black Americans to prison, it is now more important than ever to understand how numbers can be both weapons of the powerful and tools of resistance.

With her signature brilliance (Robert Kuttner), eminent political scientist Deborah Stone delivers a mind-altering work (Jacob Hacker) that shows "how being in thrall to numbers is misguided and dangerous" (New York Times Book Review).

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Deborah Stone's Counting is praised for its timely relevance and insightful examination of statistics, especially in light of COVID-19 discussions. With her ability to unravel complex topics, Stone demonstrates that numbers, often perceived as objective, are subjective and interpretive in nature. The book is described as a pleasantly surprising narrative that challenges conventional beliefs about mathematical truths.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781324091066

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 September 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Liveright Publishing Corporation

Illustration: 1 page of illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 142.0mm

Height: 211.0mm

Weight: 377g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Deborah Stone is a renowned scholar who has taught at Brandeis, MIT, and other universities around the world. Her award-winning book Policy Paradox has captivated readers through three decades, four editions, and six translationsβ€”but who’s counting? She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

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  • Counting
    Early in her extraordinary career, Deborah Stone wrote Policy Paradox, a landmark work on politics. Now, in Counting, she revolutionizes how we approach numbers and shows how counting shapes the way we see the world. Most of us think of counting as a skill so basic that we see numbers as objective, indisputable facts. Not so, says Stone. In this...
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  • Policy Paradox
    The most accessible policy text available. Policy making is a political struggle over values and ideas. By exposing the paradoxes that underlie even seemingly straightforward policy decisions, Policy Paradox shows students that politics cannot be cleansed from the process in favour of "rationality." Author Deborah Stone has fully revised and updated this popular text, which now includes many paradoxes that...
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