Product Description
In the period 1850-1940 statistics developed as a new combination of theory and practice. This development of statistics is closely interlinked with the process of modernization of society and with rapid progress in the sciences. This was not always a smooth process. The increasing influence of the statistical approach sometimes evoked strong opposition on the part of government, business, and science, and gave rise to lively debates. The twenty-seven contributions in this publication cover a great diversity of topics. In addition to the institutionalization and internationalization of official governmental statistics, attention is paid to statistics supporting policies for modernizing society, such as social legislation. The application of statistics in trade and industry and in the sciences is also discussed, as well as the general emergence of thinking in terms of probabilities and the influence of mechanization in statistics.
