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A Short History of the Numbers That Rule Our World
Simon & Schuster
February 2014
On Sale: February 11, 2014
320 pages
ISBN: 1451651201
EAN: 9781451651201
Kindle: B00DPM7ZZS
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
We are bombarded every day with numbers that tell us how we
are doing, whether the economy is growing or shrinking,
whether the future looks bright or dim. Gross national
product, balance of trade, unemployment, inflation, and
consumer confidence guide our actions, yet few of us know
where these numbers come from, what they mean, or why they
rule our world.
In The Leading Indicators,
Zachary Karabell tells the fascinating history of these
indicators. They were invented in the mid-twentieth century
to address the urgent challenges of the Great Depression,
World War II, and the Cold War. They were rough measures—
designed to give clarity in a data-parched world that was
made up of centralized, industrial nations—yet we still rely
on them today.
We live in a world shaped by
information technology and the borderless flow of capital
and goods. When we follow a 1950s road map for a
twenty-first-century world, we shouldn’t be surprised if we
get lost.
What is urgently needed, Karabell makes
clear, is not that we invent a new set of numbers but that
we tap into the thriving data revolution, which offers
unparalleled access to the information we need. Companies
should not base their business plans on GDP projections;
individuals should not decide whether to buy a home or get a
degree based on the national unemployment rate. If you want
to buy a home, look for a job, start a company, or run a
business, you should find your own indicators. National
housing figures don’t matter; local ones do. You can find
them at the click of a button. Personal, made-to-order
indicators will meet our needs today, and the revolution is
well underway. We need only to join it.
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