Data also has its problems

Jul 01, 2023 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – An interesting letter appeared in the Stabroek News of 14^th June 2023. Surprisingly, no one has commented on the contents of that letter.

The letter writer, Keith Bernard, made the following statement in his letter: “We live in an age where information or data is king, and chicanery and gerrymandering no longer work to convince the citizenry that party loyalty based on race and ethnicity are the key to their prosperity. The solution is real politicking that is the crunching of data to create a focus agenda for all peoples at a granular level.”

It is true that today information is considered as king as evident in the emphasizing being placed on data-drive policies and decisions in various aspects of life from personal decisions to corporate and political decision-making. However, when it comes to politics there are drawbacks on relying solely on data-driven political decisions

One of the obvious advantages of relaying on a data-driven approach is that it allows for more objective decision making. When a politician can point to data to support his decisions, it would be hard for his opponents to criticism his decision as being tainted by ethnic, political or partisan favoritism.

A good example of this is when the decision was taken to build the Berbice River Bridge at its present location. There was criticism that it should have been built further upriver. There was the suggestion that the siting of the bridge was meant to bypass the predominantly African town of New Amsterdam. However when the numbers were produced which showed what it would have cost in terms of building access roads, those criticisms evaporated. They did not stand a chance because of the data-driven decision as to where to site the bridge.

Guyanese bureaucrats have an aversion to data collection. Even when it comes to simple data as to how many passports are processed each day and the residences of those applying, this data is treated as confidential, if at all it is ever collected.

Another advantages is that by analyzing data sets, policymakers can identify patterns, trends, and correlations that might otherwise go unnoticed and that could help them to make informed decisions that are grounded in objective facts rather than opinions.

The President of Guyana is going around to communities in order to understand and to respond to the problems residents face. But the President cannot possibly visit all communities and solve all the problems of every community. A much better approach would be for a data collection exercise to be undertaken in every community to identify needs. The data can then be crunched thereby giving the government a richer understanding of the problems faced by citizens in various communities. This will allow for a much better response to the problems of communities.

But data also has its limitations. Data alone cannot capture the complexity of human experiences, emotions, and values. Relying solely on data might lead to a narrow focus on quantifiable metrics, overlooking intangible factors crucial for effective policymaking. The human element should not be discounted, as it plays a vital role in people’s lives

Data driven approaches can also have problems. As Guyanese would say what you put in is what you get out. This is a way of saying that the quality of information depends on the quality of the input data.

But there is what known as algorithmic biases. Instructions that are used in data analysis can produce biased outcomes. You just have to look at how the PPPC is claiming victory to understand that the metrics they are using are self-serving.

Data also do not always give the complete picture.  Data driven approaches may overlook qualitative factors such as historical and cultural factors that should be considered in making decisions.

Policymakers must strike a balance between data-driven insights and the inclusion of diverse perspectives to ensure the development of equitable and effective policies. By embracing both the power of data and the importance of human judgment, policymakers can move toward a more inclusive and prosperous future.

It is useful for the President to engage in community outreaches. He will get a sense of the problems of the people. He will understand human perspectives that cannot be captured in data series.

But he must also strive to ensure that his decisions are data-driven. Recently he took a decision to pay old age pension and NIS pensions on the same day. Now this may help some persons who don’t want to go two times on the road to collect their monthly pensions.

But are the majority of pensioners in agreement with this decision. Do all pensioners want to be leaving the post office with all that money at one time? A survey of opinions of pensioners would have led to a more data-driven rather than a knee-jerk reaction.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• following, Keith  Bernard, made, Peeping Tom, writer

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