Should economists count?—The Dickensian view

This paper considers Charles Dickens’ charge that by relying too exclusively on statistics, political economists simply cannot understand the human dimension of the questions they examine and the policies they propose to reform economic conditions. Particular attention, is paid to three of Dickens’ writings: his 1836 “Full Report of the First Meeting of the Mudfog Association for the Advancement, of Everything;” his 1853 Christmas story, “The Chimes;” and finally, his 1854 novelHard Times, where these questions were a central theme.