We Do Not Know the Population of Every Country in the World for the Past Two Thousand Years
指出经济学家常用的McEvedy和Jones世界人口历史地图集数据存在大量猜测和过时估计，其推断方法导致测量误差非经典，基于该数据的计量结果不可靠。
Economists have reported results based on populations for every country in the world for the past two thousand years. The source, McEvedy and Jones’ Atlas of World Population History , includes many estimates that are little more than guesses and that do not reflect research since 1978. McEvedy and Jones often infer population sizes from their view of a particular economy, making their estimates poor proxies for economic growth. Their rounding means their measurement error is not “classical.” Some economists augment that error by disaggregating regions in unfounded ways. Econometric results that rest on McEvedy and Jones are unreliable. “… we haven’t just pulled the figures out of the sky. Well, not often.” —McEvedy and Jones (1978, p. 11)