Foreword

Following the exposure of the U.S. National Security Administration’s (NSA) controversial surveillance program, there has been heated debate surrounding the collection and storage of personal data. Our latest issue of The SAIS Review of International Affairs, “Policy by Numbers: How Big Data is Transforming Security, Governance, and Development,” seeks to move beyond the sensationalism that has accompanied the NSA revelations. We hope to provide readers a more nuanced perspective on the role of data in international affairs, with a diverse collection of interviews, essays, and opinion editorials from scholars, technologists, and policymakers.

We explore the rise of big data, in which governments and profit-seeking organizations make policies and predictions based upon correlations among massive quantities of data. We examine the trend toward open data, in which governments provide valuable datasets directly to the public. We assess the impact of data—positive and negative, international and domestic—on public policy, national security, international development, and individual well-being.

While the rise of big and open data is associated with promising applications, there are still vast uncertainties regarding how best to exploit this technology. We hope that readers from the academic and public policy communities will feel empowered to enhance their understanding of technical tools and data analysis, in an age where technological innovation often outpaces government policy.

We begin with a conversation with Robert Kirkpatrick, Director of the United Nations Global Pulse Initiative. The UN Global Pulse Initiative collects and analyzes real-time data to better protect populations from socioeconomic shocks. Kirkpatrick explores the challenges associated with big data analytics, the surprising correlations among seemingly unrelated datasets, and the initiative’s effort to predict food price crises with data from social media.

Human rights data often impacts policy decisions. The next three articles explore the opportunities and risks associated with collecting and analyzing this sensitive information. Megan Price and Patrick Ball use case studies of violent conflicts in Syria and Iraq to evaluate data-gathering methodologies in conflict scenarios. They warn that datasets from conflict scenarios are often subject to bias, and should not be used in isolation to draw conclusions. Monti Narayan Datta argues that the collection of quantitative data on modern day slavery has generated discussion in media and among policymakers on how to mitigate and eradicate slavery. Our interview with Arch Puddington, Vice President for Research at Freedom House, discusses worldwide trends in freedom, and the impact of Freedom House’s annual reports and indices.

The rise of big and open data has a powerful impact on government policymaking. Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi frames data as an information weapon in the context of Thai domestic politics. She examines the government’s rice-pledging scheme, and argues that contrasting datasets from the government and opposition parties are used to gain political power and credibility. Ian Kalin describes the theory and practice of open data policy in the United States, and explains how government leaders can replicate successful open data initiatives. Joel Gurin argues that open government and open data can improve economic growth, transparency, and citizen engagement. He also notes the obstacles for implementing open data initiatives in developing countries.

How can policymakers craft policies and frameworks that best take advantage of big data? Given the fast pace of innovation and the slow pace of policy, Kord Davis discusses how to bridge the gap between policymakers and innovators. He identifies spaces where the public and private sector can collaborate to produce effective and balanced policy. Aniket Bhushan argues that the rise of big data and open data has created an opportunity for disruptive innovation in international affairs. He offers examples related to real-time macroeconomic analysis, humanitarian response, and poverty measurement.

Data impacts national security and individual privacy, as well. Chris Poulin outlines the processes of data collection and analysis, using case studies from the Arab Spring, medical risk analysis, and his work at the Durkheim Project, a data analysis initiative that seeks to predict and prevent veteran suicides. David Rubin, Kim Lynch, Jason Escaravage, and Hillary Lerner explain how to balance the opposing forces of opportunity and risk, collective security and individual privacy...