Public choice theory explains the incentives and behavior of the tens of thousands of government employees who work in the bowels of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Treasury, Office of Management and Budget, Economics and Statistics Administration, and countless other agencies who generate and massage spreadsheets day in and day out.

FORBES: Distorted Government Statistics Endanger Our Economic Health

By last count, no fewer than 106 federal agencies are tasked with gathering statistics, the most important being the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Census Bureau, U.S. Treasury, Internal Revenue Services, Office of Management and Budget, and Economics and Statistics Administration.

FORBES: It's Time For A Transparency-In-Government-Statistics Law

Academics say the decision is economically illogical because small-scale safety improvements offer best value for money on the sort of financial analysis demanded by the Treasury.

BBC: Spending plan 'snubs road safety'