Is the Data Revolution in Africa a Myth or Reality?
« Révolution des données » en Afrique : mythe ou réalité ?
État des lieux et enjeux de la statistique africaine
Challenges posed in the production and use of African statistics
Published on Friday, September 11, 2015
Abstract
In 2013, Shanta Devarajan, The World Bank's chief economist for Africa, published an article about the state of African data with the arresting title "Africa's Statistical Tragedy" (Devarajan, 2013). This essay paints an alarming portrait of the data situation in Africa. In addition to analyzing the "tragedy", Devarajan examined the reasons for it, found that they were primarily political, and proposed ways to remedy the situation. This edition aims to highlight the issues fueling heated debates about African public statistics, particularly data reliability, instrumentalization and dispersal. The legitimacy and intentions of detractors of African public statistics will also be examined, as will data production privatization.
Announcement
Journal
For a special issue of the quarterly journal Afrique contemporaine
Editors
- Florent Bédécarrats (AFD),
- Jean-Pierre Cling (MAEDI)
- François Roubaud (IRD/DIAL)
Argument
This edition aims to highlight the issues fueling heated debates about African public statistics, particularly data reliability, instrumentalization and dispersal. The legitimacy and intentions of detractors of African public statistics will also be examined, as will data production privatization. We invite social, political and/or human sciences scholars to address central questions, such as: Will technical developments such as “Big Data” and new computer technologies change the terms of the debate? Can sociological readings (e.g. (Desrosières 2000 and 2014) clarify the issues? Can nationally and internationally determined quantification strategies and policies do so? How might a sociology of sciences lens elucidate current controversies? The deadline to submit a one-page article proposal is 30 September 2015; selected papers will need to be completed by 2 January 2016.
Submissions
Interested authors will submit an article proposal composed of a one-page summary, describing the topic, argument outline (in brief), and the relevant data or fieldwork.
Articles must be 35,000 characters in length at time of publication, including spaces, footnotes and bibliography. Submissions must include an abstract of 800 total characters, key words, and a 150-character author(s) biography.
We especially welcome articles that feature maps, drawings, chronologies and photos.
Each article will be blind peer-reviewed by two anonymous referees, the Afrique Contemporaine editorial board, and the special issue editors.
Please submit your response to this call for papers via our online Editorial Manager
For questions or clarifications, contact Florent Bédécarrats at bedecarratsf@afd.fr, François Roubaud at roubaud@dial.prd.fr and Isabelle Fortuit at fortuiti@afd.fr
Timeline
-
Submit article proposal by 30 September 2015 at latest.
- The editors will select article topics and notify authors by 10 October 2015 at latest.
- Selected authors must submit a first draft of their articles by 2 January 2016.
- The special issue will be published in September 2016.
Subjects
- Economics (Main category)
- Society > Sociology
- Society > Economics > Political economics
- Zones and regions > Africa
- Society > Political studies > Governance and public policies
Date(s)
- Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Attached files
Keywords
- statistique, big data,comptabilité nationale, indicateur
Contact(s)
- Isabelle Fortuit
courriel : afcontemporaine [at] gmail [dot] com
Reference Urls
Information source
- Isabelle Fortuit
courriel : afcontemporaine [at] gmail [dot] com
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Is the Data Revolution in Africa a Myth or Reality? », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Friday, September 11, 2015, https://doi.org/10.58079/t6z
