The politics of data-based policymaking

“We need to recognise that the construction of public statistics is informed by political commitments that must be aired and critiqued for good policymaking” | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

How should India approach data collection and statistics for the next five years? Measures and datasets tell the stories of a country’s growth and are important to citizens, policymakers, and the international audience. In the last few years, the accuracy and quality of India’s statistical systems have been questioned. Economists and policymakers have lamented the “decade without data” since the Census has not been conducted and the release of National Sample Survey (NSS) data faced delays. They have advocated for more independence and neutrality in data collection, interpretation, and release.

However, simply championing values like independence and neutrality overlooks the contextual and political nature of statistics. We need to recognise that the construction of public statistics is informed by political commitments that must be aired and critiqued for good policymaking. Unless the politics are transparent, the statistics will not be as useful as they could be.