Towards a political economy of statistics

Abstract

Abstract. Presently, many countries are discussing the future of official statistical data production. As a contribution to this discussion, we shall examine in this article a number of methodological aspects of a "political economy of statistics", focussing on "statistical operationalization", which we see as a central challenge for data production in the field of economic and social activities. In a "political economy of statistics" it is assumed that the producers and users of statistical data behave self-interested and will try to shape the statistical infrastructure to meet their personal needs, which do not necessarily coincide with the socially optimal form of data provision. As a result, individual rationality and collective rationality may fall apart and create welfare losses for society. In this contribution we therefore ask how the process of statistical data production can be organized to benefit society in total and not only specific interest groups. To that end we shall combine insights from political economy with insights from statistical operationalization.

White, democratic, technocratic: the political charge behind official statistics in South Africa

“…Official statistics and national statistical systems are crucial for public administration and policymaking (Heine & Oltmanns, 2016;Taylor, 2016). According to the United Nations' fundamental principles of official statistics, established in 1994, 'official statistics provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society'.…”

“…Data producers and users have interests that can conflict at the aggregate level (Heine & Oltmanns, 2016). Politicians may use statistics to embellish their achievements, and the opposition to criticize the government-both shaping the construction and use of definitions (Moon & Richardson, 1985).…”

Governing Public-Private Partnerships: The Problem of Low-Cost Decisions

“…Thus, it would be helpful to have an official and publicly accessible database that includes all relevant information for all PPP projects in a jurisdiction, so that citizen-voters, who are the ultimate principals in the PPP game, have the opportunity to take into account what their political agents are doing (or not doing) in the area of PPP policy in the next election. Such a database could be hosted by a politically independent body, such as an audit office or statistical office that has the power to collect the necessary information (Heine and Oltmanns, 2016). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT), and national statistical offices provide more or less detailed information on the activities of firms operating in the private sector of the economy; for example, official data is available for the number of firms, the value added, or the number of employees in different industries (energy, finance, mining, and so on).…”