Planet Money What happens when governments cook the books
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Aug 9, 2025 
Joined by George Papakonstantino, a Professor at the European University Institute and former Greek finance minister, the discussion dives into the dark side of data manipulation. They explore Argentina's inflation statistics scandal and the ensuing fallout, highlighting the struggle for public trust. Papakonstantino then shares insights on Greece's own financial reporting failures, emphasizing the critical need for transparency in economic data. The conversation reveals how cooking the books can lead to long-term economic distrust and the challenges of correcting these missteps.
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Political Firing Shatters Statistical Norms
- Erica McInterfer's firing after a bad jobs report shattered norms protecting independent stats.
- Experts worry political pressure could erode data quality and the staff who guard processes.
Government Tried Tracing Stores To Lower Inflation
- Argentina asked INDEC which stores statisticians visited to pressure prices.
- Statisticians refused, blocking that first attempt to cook the inflation number.
Top Statisticians Fired For Resisting Method Changes
- The government pushed subtle methodological tweaks and then fired resisting statisticians.
- Data began disappearing and detailed indices stopped publishing, which raised widespread suspicions.