Some British Empiricists in Social Sciences

This book describes the development of economic, demographic and social statistics in the British Isles from the mid-seventeenth century to the end of the nineteenth as represented by the work of twelve pioneers in these fields. Its most distinctive feature is its tables, which bring together in clear and succinct form an impressive body of data collected from a large number of disparate sources and are complemented by an exhaustive description of their historical context. An important aspect of the book is the short biographies that open each chapter and bring to life the personalities of its central characters.First Lecture: the Political Arithmeticians: 1. William Petty and the birth of national accounting; 2. Charles Davenant and the analysis of taxes; 3. Gregory King and the development of economic statistics; Second Lecture: Progress in Economic Statistics: 4. William Fleetwood and the birth of index numbers; 5. Arthur Young and the concept of value added; 6. Patrick Colquhoun and the accounts of the British Empire; Third Lecture: Demography and Vital Statistics: 7. John Graunt and the birth of demographic statistics; 8. Edmond Halley and the first life table; 9. William Farr and the development of vital statistics; Fouth Lecture: Quantitative Social Studies: 10. Frederick Morton Eden and the poor of England; 11. Florence Nightingale and hospital reform; 12. Charles Booth and the London working classes; Comments; Richard Stone: an autobiographical sketch; Bibliography of Richard Stone's works.