More or Better Development Data? Yes, Please...

Morten Jerven author of our assessment paper for Data for Development has written a great article for the Huffington Post. In the article Jerven illustrates why improved data monitoring will be so important for the post-2015 SDGs. 

I propose two ground rules for debating SDGs. First, for every proposed target: tell us how much it would cost to measure, and show us who is going to pay for it. Second, for every new target proposed, suggest two other targets that should be deleted. In the world of no trade-offs it is perfectly fine to say -- both please -- but in the real world you actually have to choose.

I do think that it is important to know something about the cost of measuring things, and about the trade-offs of having say, statistics on gender distribution of land versus annual employment statistics. It is about time we realized that official statistics is a public good -- if we demand too much to be publicly provided then the quality of our information will deteriorate.

We really have to make a choice between 'measure everything wrong all the time' or 'measure something correctly some of the time'."

Read more on the Huffington Post