Democratizing Our Data: A Manifesto

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Why America's data system is broken, and how to fix it. Why, with data increasingly important, available, valuable and cheap, are the data produced by the American government getting worse and costing more State and local governments rely on population data from the US Census Bureau; prospective college students and their parents can check data from the National Center for Education Statistics; small businesses can draw on data about employment and wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But often the information they get is out of date or irrelevant, based on surveys--a form of information gathering notorious for low response rates. In A Data Manifesto, Julia Lane argues that bad data is bad for democracy. Her book is a wake-up call to America to fix its broken public data system.

Reviews

"Lane, a professor of public policy at NYU, delivers a persuasive, evidence-based argument for building a new public data system in order to safeguard privacy and improve the government's ability to implement policy initiatives...she writes in straightforward, accessible prose and makes a convincing case for reform. Policymakers will want to take note."
-Publishers Weekly

This pithy volume is a must-read account of what the US federal statistical agencies are, what they do and why public statistics are vital to democracy. If we cannot be counted, we cannot be heard.
- Nature

This work is an exceptionally valuable read for any student of data analytics, whether working in public health or public affairs.
-CHOICE

"A persuasive case and actionable vision for refashioning government data collection and analysis to more efficiently and effectively serve public needs."
- John Overdeck, President, Overdeck Family Foundation

Julia Lane is a brilliant visionary with the rare ability to bring her visions successfully to fruition. Her manifesto is a clarion call we must heed to ensure a dynamic and viable future for timely, relevant, accurate, and objective federal statistical data. A mustread.
- Nancy Potok, former Chief Statistician of the United States

Julia Lane paints a grim picture of the current state of government data collection. But she also describes practical ways to modernize and improve the systems that provide this data. Everyone interested in improved policy making should read this book.
- Hal Varian, Chief Economist, Google

A compelling call to modernize the way we collect and analyze public data, so that citizens, firms, and policy makers make better decisions in the twenty-first century.
- Tom Kalil, Chief Innovation Officer, Schmidt Futures; former Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

A must-read. A marvelous (and badly needed) recipe to harness the power of public data to enlighten us all.
- David T. Ellwood, Isabelle and Scott Black Professor of Political Economy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Author Bio

Julia Lane is a founder of the Coleridge Initiative, Professor at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and an NYU Provostial Fellow for Innovation Analytics.