Arab world : an international statistical directory

The reliability and coverage of statistics issued by Arab governments, banks and private organisations has improved remarkably during the last decade. Inter-country comparative studies can now be attempted in many fields using cross sectional data. This would have been impossible only a few years ago. For country specialists long time. series data runs are currently available that permit the use of regression analysis and other standard statistical techniques. The social scientist working in the Arab World is now able to employ the quantitative methods that have long been used in the developed. industrialised world. There is of course as much, if not more, scope for qualitative work than before, but it seems that the emphasis in the social sciences in the Arab World is now on the examination of measurable variables. Theories and hypotheses can be tested today in a much more rigorous way than was hitherto possible.

These developments must be welcome to all those concerned with scientific inquiry, especially as they come at a time when the facilities. for processing data are now so good, and even the non mathematician can easily learn to use modern computing equipment. Many Arab countries, especially those in the Gulf, have excellent computing facilities in government department and universities. With the miniaturisation of computer hardware, it is now possible for those working in the remotest Arab village to take along their own lightweight processing equipment that will suffice for most social science needs. These advances nevertheless bring their own dangers, and the old adage still applies, "figures can't lie, but liars can figure". This volume will not prevent this happening with Arab statistical data, but at least it will provide some indication of the best sources available.