The Statistical Mind in Modern Society: The Netherlands 1850-1940

In the period 1850-1940 statistics developed as a new combination of theory and practice. A wide range of phenomena were looked at in a novel way and this statistical mindset had a pervasive influence in contemporary society.

This development of statistics is closely interlinked with the process of modernisation of society at the time, and with the rapid progress in the sciences. This was not always a smoothprocess. The increasing influence of the statistical approach sometimes evoked strong opposition on the part of government, businessand science, and gave rise to lively debates.

The 27 contributions in this publication, produced by experts from various disciplines, over a great diversity of topics. In addition to the institutionalisation and internationalisationof official governmental statistics, attention is paid to statistics supporting policies for modernising society, such as social legislation.

The application of statistics in trade and industry (such as banking and insurance, and the railways) and in the sciences (demography, geography, genetics, historiography, agricultural and medical sciences) is also discussed, as well as the general emergence of thinking in terms of probabilities and the influence of mechanisationin statistics.

This publication is a follow-up to The statistical mind in a pre-statistical era: The Netherlands 1750-1850 (Paul M.M. Klep andIda H. Stamhuis, eds), published in 2002.  

We hereby invite you to attend the presentation of the two-volume publication: THE STATISTICAL MIND IN MODERN SOCIETY. THE NETHERLANDS 1850-1940 editors Paul Klep, Jacques van Maarseveen and Ida Stamhuis on 12 DECEMBER 2008: 11.00 -14.00 hrs, for authors and editors: 9.30 – 14.00 hrs at the new building of Statistics Netherlands in Leidschenveen, The Hague.

 
If you would like to attend the presentation, including the lunch, please send an email to boekpresentatie@cbs.nl with your name and organisation before 8 December.
 

Main points of the programme

• 11.00 opening by the Geert Bruinooge, director Statistics Netherlands
  
• 11.10 commentary by Alain Desrosières, INSEE, Paris,
• 11.30 commentary by Pim Kooij, University of Groningen and University of Wageningen,
• 11.50 commentary by Ronald Numbers, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 12.30 official presentation of the book to Gosse van der Veen, director- general of Statistics Netherlands and to directors-general of several European statistical institutes
• 13.00 lunch