A review by haaris
Whole Numbers and Half Truths by Rukmini S
4.0
Rukmini does two things that make her book very useful. One, she does a fantastic job of collating and synthesising data from a number of sources to discuss ten hotly debated topics in India. Two, she carefully discusses what the data can and cannot tell us. In many cases, this exercise upends conversational tropes about India. That population growth is the biggest problem for India, for example. Or when relatively very well-off people lament how they -- the middle-class -- are getting crushed while others benefit from "freebies."
It also serves a reminder that India is still a very conservative country, in matters of class, caste, women's rights, religion, ideology, and support for basic human rights.
A large majority of the country still lives in relative deprivation. The median resident still lives in a rural place. Women are not in the work force, generally speaking.
Just some quick minor criticism. The figures are poorly labeled. The discussion on the pros and cons of surveys versus admin data is not well done.
On the whole, I strongly recommend the book.
*********
Notes while reading individual chapters. For personal records.
I
Good start. Dives into crime statistics in the first chapter. Shows how top line reading of statistics on various types of crime is incomplete without understanding the context in which people report crime, police record it, and the institutional setup treating different kinds of alleged offenses.
II
Education, income or urbanization do very little in changing people's attitudes towards core democratic ideals such as freedom of expression, or in religious or caste based discrimination. The way backward tendencies are expressed has become more subtle but refuses to go away.
III
That nearly everyone says in opinion polls that "development" is what matters when they vote but as soon as the survey questions become more creative, more indirect, and allow revealed preferences to be elicited, the importance of ideas, identity and ideological commitment start showing up.
IV
That India is anything from 66 to 75% non vegetarian I knew. I didn't realize Punjab is so overwhelmingly vegetarian. Only one in three women in Punjab reported ever eating eggs.
Marriages are almost always within the same caste (~ 95%)
The average Indian household takes four overnight trips a year. Just four. 75% of the time it's to visit family and friends. Only 3% travel for leisure.
I live in such a bubble.
V
The fifth chapter should be called "Will the real middle class please stand up?" Good reminder that people who think they are middle class are really very rich. Middle class India would be a family earning about Rs 88,000 a year.
VI
The chapter on national surveys and national accounts is less impressive. Some of the author's reasoning doesn't come out as well as it should. The main takeaway stands though: surveys are essential exercises that bring a wealth of data and understanding otherwise missed out by more top-down headline indicators. We need to know who is consuming what and the distribution of income and wealth.
VII
Only 9 countries in the world have a female labour force participation that is lower than that of India. And the participation has been falling in recent years. Women jobs are lower paying and in closer proximity to their homes. Possibly also more dispensable when a crisis hits.
VIII
Incentives to reduce family size have perverse unintended consequences. Families seem to start pre natal sex selection earlier; before they would wait for at least the first child to be born.
Outside of Rajasthan, MP, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, the rest of India is at or actually much below replacement fertility level (2.1).
IX
An interesting puzzle is India's slow rate of urbanization. Contrary to many accounts, India is urbanizing at a slower rate than its other developing country peers. The rate is ten percentage points lower than what would be predicted by its per-capita income.
X
86% of healthcare providers are private providers in rural India. Some 68% of these are non trained providers. Yet research comparing non trained providers with certified doctors in these regions did not find any difference in their diagnosis ability or their effectiveness.
It also serves a reminder that India is still a very conservative country, in matters of class, caste, women's rights, religion, ideology, and support for basic human rights.
A large majority of the country still lives in relative deprivation. The median resident still lives in a rural place. Women are not in the work force, generally speaking.
Just some quick minor criticism. The figures are poorly labeled. The discussion on the pros and cons of surveys versus admin data is not well done.
On the whole, I strongly recommend the book.
*********
Notes while reading individual chapters. For personal records.
I
Good start. Dives into crime statistics in the first chapter. Shows how top line reading of statistics on various types of crime is incomplete without understanding the context in which people report crime, police record it, and the institutional setup treating different kinds of alleged offenses.
II
Education, income or urbanization do very little in changing people's attitudes towards core democratic ideals such as freedom of expression, or in religious or caste based discrimination. The way backward tendencies are expressed has become more subtle but refuses to go away.
III
That nearly everyone says in opinion polls that "development" is what matters when they vote but as soon as the survey questions become more creative, more indirect, and allow revealed preferences to be elicited, the importance of ideas, identity and ideological commitment start showing up.
IV
That India is anything from 66 to 75% non vegetarian I knew. I didn't realize Punjab is so overwhelmingly vegetarian. Only one in three women in Punjab reported ever eating eggs.
Marriages are almost always within the same caste (~ 95%)
The average Indian household takes four overnight trips a year. Just four. 75% of the time it's to visit family and friends. Only 3% travel for leisure.
I live in such a bubble.
V
The fifth chapter should be called "Will the real middle class please stand up?" Good reminder that people who think they are middle class are really very rich. Middle class India would be a family earning about Rs 88,000 a year.
VI
The chapter on national surveys and national accounts is less impressive. Some of the author's reasoning doesn't come out as well as it should. The main takeaway stands though: surveys are essential exercises that bring a wealth of data and understanding otherwise missed out by more top-down headline indicators. We need to know who is consuming what and the distribution of income and wealth.
VII
Only 9 countries in the world have a female labour force participation that is lower than that of India. And the participation has been falling in recent years. Women jobs are lower paying and in closer proximity to their homes. Possibly also more dispensable when a crisis hits.
VIII
Incentives to reduce family size have perverse unintended consequences. Families seem to start pre natal sex selection earlier; before they would wait for at least the first child to be born.
Outside of Rajasthan, MP, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, the rest of India is at or actually much below replacement fertility level (2.1).
IX
An interesting puzzle is India's slow rate of urbanization. Contrary to many accounts, India is urbanizing at a slower rate than its other developing country peers. The rate is ten percentage points lower than what would be predicted by its per-capita income.
X
86% of healthcare providers are private providers in rural India. Some 68% of these are non trained providers. Yet research comparing non trained providers with certified doctors in these regions did not find any difference in their diagnosis ability or their effectiveness.