Abstract
The article first gives an overview over the early history of statistics in politics, and then zooms in on the first attempts at establishing a nationwide agrarian statistics in pre-revolutionary France. Attention is given to the obstacles as well as to the long-term successes in standardizing and quantifying agrarian productivity. The corresponding learning experience, both in terms of concepts and practice, was a condition for the institutionalization of statistics in the early nineteenth century. It had its roots in the secular-utilitarian agenda of "enlightened absolutism" and its focus on a systematic and state-sponsored relaunch of the national economy.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 238-257 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Historical Social Research |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Bibliographical note
special issue „Conventions and quantification in economy, politics and statistics – historical perspectives”Keywords
- Statistik
- historische Entwicklung
- Frankreich
- 18. Jahrhundert
- Physiokratismus
- politische Ökonomie
- Quantifizierung
- Agrarproduktion