The Tyranny of Metrics

The Tyranny of Metrics

2017 • 240 pages

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Average rating3.4

15
nithou
NithouSupporter

Metrics are used everywhere and you must have encountered (or have been evaluated on) some quirky or even stupid ones. This book attacks this almost religious view a lot of us have on metrics and question their so-called objectivity, highlighting a lot of cases where metrics provoked really bad impacts (from keeping patients artificially alive to ensure they last enough days to not count toward one to refusing to believe rape victims to avoid increasing a sector's crimes number). It's a great wake up call asking us to reflect on how usage of metrics, when and how to use them and to bring back our power of judgment and qualitative analysis in the face of the sacred numbers.

A truly must read for anyone nowadays I would say.

June 7, 2021