**Preface XI**



Preface

daily lives.

approach.

Since data grows faster than ever, the role of statistics becomes more and more crucial nowadays, and there is no doubt that statistics will be even more critical in the future.

As we all know, we are living in the "Information Age" in which information has become a commodity that is quickly and widely disseminated and easily available. However, data has no meaning by itself. It should be organized and interpreted by human beings before it be‐ comes meaningful. Therefore, the "Information Age" requires us to become fluent in under‐ standing data, including the ways it is collected, analyzed, and interpreted. In a nutshell, it is essential to understand the role and significance of statistics both theoretically and in our

The application of statistics is extensive, and in our daily lives there is almost no human activity where the use of statistics is not needed. In this limited volume, we try to cover as

Motivated by the above facts, *Statistics: Growing Data Sets and Growing Demand for Statistics* aims to present recent developments and applications of statistical analysis. Hopefully, this book will serve as a supplementary resource for students, researchers, and practitioners in the area of statistics. The book consists of three sections and eight chapters, each focusing on a particular aspect of theory or application. Within every episode, the reader will be given an overview of background information and in many cases a description of the authors' novel

In this book, we try to collect texts that emphasize the crucial role of statistics. Furthermore, we also want to highlight the applications of statistics in economics, development, and other

The first section "The Role of Statistics on Quantification" consists of two chapters. The first (introductory) chapter in this section discusses the significant role of statistics both theoretical‐ ly and in our daily lives. This chapter also highlights both the benefits and misuses of statistics. The second chapter in this section looks at the relationship between the data-gathering, stat‐ istically oriented empirical research and theoretical formulation. In particular, this chapter presents the criteria that sociological explanations and theories must cover and their role in

The next section "Applications of Statistics on Economics and Development" provides exam‐ ples of statistical analysis in the field of economics and development. The first chapter of this section is devoted to the modeling of macroeconomic business cycles with statistical methods. This chapter proposes and tests a novel approach, and this novelty can serve as a

many different and multidisciplinary fields in statistics as possible.

various topics. Therefore, this book is organized into three sections.

basis for further research in both theoretical and applied aspects.

empirical study based on quantitative methods.

Chapter 8 **Severe Nuclear Accidents and Learning Effects 137** Thomas Rose and Trevor Sweeting
