The Power to Count and the Stakes of Counting

An Inquiry into the Quantified Production of Humanitarian Insecurity

Bibliographic Data

ID6188703
AuthorsMonique J Beerli (0000-0003-3962-6193)
Year2017
Volume23
Issue1
Pages57-70
Publication date2017-08-19
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGlobal Governance A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1075-2846 • E-ISSN: 1942-6720
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/19426720-02301006
OpenAlexW4244199702
LanguageEN
Citations received11

Conflict, crime, development, security, human rights, and democracy, to name a few, are all examples of subjects that have been delimited and constructed in the form of databases and sets of quantitative indicators. While the state had traditionally held the exclusive monopoly of quantified production, today many actors participate in its fabrication and circulation, sometimes even working on the same theme. Taking the example of humanitarian security, this article argues for the need to investigate the factors that structure a researcher and a research center's choice to develop new areas of quantitative research. Giving an account of who has the power to count and calling into question the disinterested production of data, this article also points to the wider power effects of transforming insecurity into quantified measures

Economics · International law · Mathematics education · Microeconomics · Political science · Public international law · Sociology · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Psychology

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