Democratizing Our Data: A Manifesto

by Julia Lane

Overview

A wake-up call for America to create a new framework for democratizing data.

Public data are foundational to our democratic system. People need consistently high-quality information from trustworthy sources. In the new economy, wealth is generated by access to data; government's job is to democratize the data playing field. Yet data produced by the American government are getting worse and costing more. In Democratizing Our Data, Julia Lane argues that good data are essential for democracy. Her book is a wake-up call to America to fix its broken public data system.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262542746
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

Julia Lane is a Professor at the NYU Wagner Graduate school of Public Service and the NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress, and an NYU Provostial Fellow for Innovation Analytics.

Table of Contents

Preface ix
1 The Problem, Why it Matters, and What to Do 1
2 The Current State of Play 19
3 Set Up to Fail 41
4 A Successful Model 63
5 Setting Up for Success 83
6 Establishing the Foundation 107
7 The Future 121
Notes 143
Index 167

Editorial Reviews

07/20/2020

Lane (coauthor, Where Are All the Good Jobs Going?), 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. Though “public statistical institutions” such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics are currently “hamstrung by excessive legislative control, inertia, lack of incentives, ill-advised budget cuts, and the ‘tyranny of the established,’ ” Lane writes, the data they collect are essential to the functioning of democracy, and, as government institutions, they have more incentive to protect citizens’ data privacy than private corporations do. Her plan for reforming the fragmented and antiquated government systems that currently collect data on demographics, job rates, the impact of tax cuts, etc., centers on the creation of a National Lab for Community Data modeled after the 19th-century Land Grant college system and government-funded research centers such as Los Alamos National Lab, which would “bring together the contributions of researchers, policy makers, and government agencies... while responding to diverse interests.” Though Lane’s road map is geared more toward policy wonks than general interest readers, she writes in straightforward, accessible prose and makes a convincing case for reform. Policymakers will want to take note. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher