Data And Power

As both a political and technical instrument of the state power, the statistics has always been outside of the political system, which as an external environment directly affects and disciplines it. In order to enhance the extractive capacity, infiltration capacity, and the legalization of the state, and to improve the performance of rule and governance, in its growth and building the modern states of China have taken the process of growing new demands to the statistical techniques of the figures, and on the other side the growing bureaucratization and rationalization afford the supply capacity of the statistics. The modernization of state causes changes of the statistical relationship between supply and demand, and in them a fundamental change is about the loose relationship between the statistics and the state in the pre-modern period, and also a paradigm change from the old one with the features:the statistics and other administrative acts mixing up, thus undifferentiated and low-skilled. All above changes open modern statistical transformation in China.To maximize the political benefits, the modern state continue to discipline and shape statistics in accordance with its own needs for it, thus it develops several different models and roles for statistics:Sometimes statistics is emphasized in its information function on extracting capacity and scientific decision-making, and sometimes political function is emphasized for political mobilization and legitimacy proving. And also the modern state regulates the statistics in its organization, scope of activities and operating rules, so that it adapts to the defined political functions. Overall, statistical functions, personnel, the scope of activities and operating rules are constantly adjusted with the modern nation-building and growth process, which shows modern statistical transformation phases.However, the main variables in the modern transformation of the statistics are not in a linear and in a consistent pace. Modern countries, at different stages of development, faces different domestic and international environment and bears different missions of state functions and development, so the needs to the statistics are not all the same. In the process of China modern statistical transformation, there are two different paths--"technology-oriented" and "political orientation"--to the political demands. In technology-oriented statistics the technical rationality shows a competitive advantage, while in political orientated statistics the political demands overwhelm technical rationality and independence of the statistics are greatly suppressed. For the mutual competition of the above two development paths, China modern statistics develops three different modes:the technology-based, ideological and public goods.From the late Qing Dynasty, Beiyang government to Nanjing National Government, this period of China statistics reflects the technology-oriented feature, so its institutional change trajectory is characterized as introduction and innovation to the reference of West system of statistics:constructing statistical organizations from top to the bottom, rapidly broadening the statistical scope and coverage and introducing modern statistical methods. whatever the statistical system are adjusted, its the function always remains as positive administrative tools of the government, and although in statistical practices there are some political tendency, its function as a technical tool continues and its technology-oriented track never deviates. New China established in1949emphasis on the political value of the statistics. Though noticing the technical features, the political functions of the statistics stick out obviously, such as political mobilization and legitimacy proving. For the political mobilization, totalitarian government simplifies the bureaucracy of statistics institutions with the principle of flexible and easy transformation, and statistical staffs are chosen to match the slogan "both red and expert", while the statistical scope and coverage adjust to central work or goal of the government, and the statistical operating rules and practices of are molded to the political correctness.In this period the technical behavior in the statistics are criticized and oppressed. After1978, along with alteration of the national government idea and formation of civil society, the external environment of the statistics changes dramatically. In this context, statistics quickly realized the "de-politicization" and open a new transition from the power tool of the government to the public goods of common services for the state and society.In the relation of the statistics and state power, there is one-way process of politics disciplining statistics, as well as another reversal process of statistics countering power.In the process of the modern nation-state building, with its rational, quantifiable means to improve national capacity, statistical techniques widen the national governance space, improve the rational degree of state, and enhance the supply of public goods, shape the modern society and citizens, thus promote modern nation-state building and growth. However, for the government misuse or excessively use statistics, some negative impacts occur such as statistics itself developing slowly and poor performance of governance and even governance crisis.The statistics should fit with the political system outside it. For the goal of the utility maximization of statistics, the modern nation-state must respect statistics technological and professional characteristics and keep political interests and statistics in an appropriate degree, and indeed necessarily introduces the society’s supervising and partaking. Only with the reasonable functional boundary of the statistical techniques and the politics, and with the balance between the nation-state and statistics, the positive interaction between the statistics and the power will achieve, and thus both sides will mutually promote and develop.