Narrating Numbers: Expertise in the Age of Datafied Governance

Recent decades have witnessed a metric turn in evidence-informed policymaking with a proliferation of quantification as a key mode of policy formulation and evaluation. The promise and appeal of metrics hinge on the idea of de-politicisation of policy through measurement. However, as shown by a rich scholarship in policy studies, public administration and Science and Technology Studies, behind the veil of objectivity, metrics are, in fact, political tools. This presentation proposes a critical new lens on metrics in policymaking by switching the focus away from implicit to explicit politics of (seemingly neutral) numbers. Through a rich exploration of over 70 interviews with experts working in key International Organisations, this paper explores the diverse processes through which metrics gain their political power and significance. Theoretically, this work draws on narrative perspectives on public policymaking in order to conceptualise the process of ‘narrating numbers’ as the key political work of experts and policy advisors. The presentation will unpack how convincing narratives around numbers are constructed and mobilised. By doing so, it will shed light on the social and political processes surrounding quantification that are necessary for numbers to exert political influence.

Justyna Bandola-Gill is an Assistant Professor in Social Policy at the School of Social Policy and Society at the University of Birmingham. Her research explores the evolving paradigms of evidence-based policymaking in the face of emerging governing technologies. At Birmingham, Justyna leads the Science, Technology and Culture research cluster.