CRIM 1400 Lecture 11: Methods cont.
6 Jun 2018
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● Connected to a lot of different aspects of social life
● How is the production and use of global indicators shaped by power?
Seductions of Quantification
● Toolkit to Critically Examine Global Indicators
○ What are indicators
○ Genealogical methods
○ Considering temporal dimensions of indicator production
○ Considering contextual dimensions of indicator production
○ Types of indicators: counts, ratios, composites
■ Counts → number of whatever you’re counting
■ Ratios → ratio of something you’re counting compared to the count of the
opposite/parallel of what you’re counting
■ Composites → merging of counts and ratios into one number, something
bigger such as a ranking system
○ Are we dealing with false specificity?
■ How are the numbers presented?
○ Do numbers camouflage the political considerations that shape the collection and
presentation of data?
● Conclusion
○ “Indicators emerge through social processes shaped by power relations,
expertise, and techniques of measurement”
Numbers and their Meaning
● Human trafficking is difficult to measure
○ Vague definitions and different interpretations
○ Process is shadowy and illegal
■ Forget that we depend on it
○ Operation varies in different parts of the world
○ Trafficking victims are very hard to find and count
○ Criminal and criminal networks seek to evade detection
○ Are all numbers useless?
● Homogenization of a highly diverse phenomenon?
○ The TIP report: tiered ranking system, composite indicator based on counts of
anti-trafficking laws passed, criminal justice actions against traffickers, and
country narratives
○ India supposedly increased efforts by increasing numbers identified of people
being trafficked, but they’re still not doing great
● Stats to inform policy
○ Using what we already know
○ Psychological and emotional pressure is more effective method of recruitment
than force
■ Victims end up trusting trafficker
● Stats to expose bottlenecks
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Connected to a lot of different aspects of social life. Counts number of whatever you"re counting. Ratios ratio of something you"re counting compared to the count of the opposite/parallel of what you"re counting. Composites merging of counts and ratios into one number, something bigger such as a ranking system. Indicators emerge through social processes shaped by power relations, expertise, and techniques of measurement . Psychological and emotional pressure is more effective method of recruitment than force. Operation varies in different parts of the world. Trafficking victims are very hard to find and count. Criminal and criminal networks seek to evade detection. The tip report: tiered ranking system, composite indicator based on counts of anti-trafficking laws passed, criminal justice actions against traffickers, and country narratives. India supposedly increased efforts by increasing numbers identified of people being trafficked, but they"re still not doing great. Numbers as a starting point to look further. Harder to get labor traffickers convicted than sex traffickers.
