Tourists bustle about Washington, D.C., hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the nation’s leaders. Jay Kadane blends into the crowd, but not when he testifies before a panel of lawmakers. The CMU statistics and social sciences professor chairs the American Statistical Association Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, which has life-and-death connotations. He believes that those responsible for collecting and presenting economic data in Argentina are in danger; not only are their livelihoods threatened, but their personal lives as well.
He briefs congressmen on how Argentinian government officials, in hopes of painting a bright economic overview, haven’t provided accurate statistics on the country’s inflation rates for almost a decade. Statisticians there have been the target of terminations, fines, and incarceration by their government, which is trying to control dissemination of collected statistics and data.
World economic leaders worry that the economic fallout could cause a domino effect globally. In addition, Kadane points out: “The rights to free speech and press in Argentina are at stake. We must implement strategies to stop this from happening in Argentina and to deter other governments from engaging in similar behaviors.”
Kadane has now addressed Congress twice in the past year and says he will continue to do so until a substantive policy is in place.
—Lisa Kay Davis (DC’09)
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CMU Joseph B. Kadane Urges Argentina to Stop Repressing Statisticians
