Governance by data circulation? The production, availability, and use of national large-scale assessment data

Abstract

<p>The expanding practices of evaluation are said to allow the nation-state to extend its capacity to govern across territory and into the classroom. Such a form of governance at a distance relies on the circulation of information about subjects, objects, and processes to the centres of calculation and power. We refer to the term “data circulation” to argue that circulation unfolds through distinct but interlinked phases of data production, data availability, and data use. The chapter analyses the ways in which governance through data is riddled with tensions and blockages, thus making it less smooth than is generally depicted in both academic literature and political rhetoric. The chapter presents a synthesis of the national objectives of large-scale assessments in the three countries. Interviews with policymakers, experts, and civil servants assist in understanding the actual data circulation along the three phases. Our results show, among other things, that data circulation remains limited in Russia and China, because it is powered by uncertain and mutually contradictory political agendas. In Brazil, where data are less restricted, their circulation can lead to paths which contradict national goals.<br /></p>