Data for Policy June Fireside Chat: Democracy Dies in Darkness without Official Statistics
Join us for an in-depth Data for Policy Fireside Chat with Dr Luca Di Gennaro Splendore (University of Malta), exploring why official statistics are essential to democratic systems in the digital age.
The session will be chaired by Sarah Giest (Leiden University and Area 1 Lead Editor of Data & Policy), a Professor of Public Policy working at the intersection of innovation, technology, and sustainable development.
In an era dominated by artificial intelligence and data-driven policymaking, a fundamental question arises: who governs the data? This session draws on new empirical evidence linking democracy to the performance of national statistical systems and advances a central argument: democracy dies in darkness without official statistics. Official statistics are not merely technical outputs but institutional infrastructures that shape visibility, accountability, and political authority.
The discussion will emphasise that different countries require distinct statistical systems, reflecting diverse institutional contexts, governance models, and territorial arrangements. Questions of federalism, and state capacity influence how official statistics are produced, coordinated, and trusted. At the heart of this architecture are independent National Statistical Offices, whose autonomy is essential for producing credible, publicly trusted data.
As governments increasingly rely on administrative, private-sector, and citizen-generated data, statistical institutions are also evolving. In several countries, National Statistical Offices are expanding into broader data agencies with responsibilities that extend beyond official statistics to encompass data governance, stewardship, and coordination across the public sector. This transformation raises important questions about power, legitimacy, trust, governability, and democratic accountability in the digital state.
The session will explore how official statistics, citizen data, data governance, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the relationship between data and democracy, and what institutional arrangements are needed to ensure that public data remain trustworthy, inclusive, and accountable.
This session will be recorded and shared on the Data for Policy YouTube channel. Cameras off are welcome; active participation is warmly encouraged.
Topics include: democracy and data systems · official statistics and democratic accountability · national statistical offices and institutional autonomy · data governance in the digital state · administrative and citizen-generated data · AI and public sector transformation