Early this year, the US government purged various data sets from government websites, including information regarding education, climate, crime, and global development. On this incident, Caren Grown, former Global Director of the World’s Bank Gender Group and current Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, said: “I mourn the loss of this data, not just from a research perspective, but as a former policymaker who was actively involved in decisions on how to target resources, where needs were greatest”.[1] This highlights the harm that the lack of data can cause to good policymaking.
The complex and fast-evolving challenges in the world these days -from public health crises to climate change- require more than only good will. Effective policymaking must be grounded in solid evidence. Data, when properly collected, analyzed, and applied, transforms policymaking into a disciplined process of problem-solving and impact evaluation.
Whether it’s identifying social gaps, testing interventions, or measuring outcomes, data has become a crucial tool in designing and driving public policy. When used well, data not only informs policy, but it can also drive meaningful changes.
Data on policymaking
In a nutshell, policymaking is about identifying problems and designing solutions that improve people’s lives. But you can only solve a problem that you fully understand, and that is why data is crucial. Data helps policymakers grasp the scale and nuances of the issues they are addressing. For instance, unemployment rates alone don’t tell the full story of economic hardship; complementary data about cost of living and household debt can offer a much clearer picture.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world used real-time mobility data to guide and adjust public health restrictions. By tracking how populations were moving, they could make targeted decisions (i.e., local lockdowns) rather than blanket national measures. This not only protected public health but reduced economic disruption.
When policies are backed by relevant, high-quality data, they are more likely to be effective, responsive, and fair.
Data: beyond pure policymaking
On top of that, the use of data fosters accountability and transparency. When public decisions are made based on clear and accessible evidence, it becomes easier to explain, defend, or challenge those decisions. For example, let’s think about public budgets. If spending on education is increasing but learning outcomes remain stagnant, data can reveal inefficiencies or inequalities in resource allocation. It opens up space for debate, adjustment, and reform.
Data also acts as a safeguard against arbitrary or ideologically driven decisions, making it more accessible for citizens, journalists, and watchdogs to evaluate the actions of those in power.
Data is not only useful before policies are rolled out, but also essential afterward. Without data, there is no way to measure whether a policy is working, who it is benefiting, or what unintended consequences it may be causing. Through predictive modeling, policymakers can anticipate different scenarios. For instance, in climate policy, data-driven simulations help cities prepare for future flood risks, extreme heat, or migration patterns.
Equally important is post-implementation evaluation. Findings from evaluations can validate existing programs and shape how governments scale and redesign them to be more effective and equitable.
Driving policy change through data
Data is also a catalyst for policy change, especially when used by civil society, media, and advocacy groups. It gives marginalized voices a powerful tool to make their case and demand change.
Consider the reforms on air quality regulation in India. India have faced some of the worst air quality levels globally. For a long time, the lack of real-time data allowed the problem to remain under-addressed, but as open-access air quality data became more available, public pressure mounted. With evidence in hand, advocacy groups, researchers, and media outlets pushed the issue onto the national agenda. The Indian government responded with a series of policy measures, including the National Clean Air Programme,[2] which set targets for pollution reduction in over 100 cities and funded local action plans.
The barriers and how they can be addressed
Many low-income countries lack the infrastructure, expertise, and resources needed to have robust up-to-date data that can contribute to good governance, which gets reflected in constant struggles to collect data, update it, and include marginalized communities in official statistics. When data is missing, biased, or poorly interpreted, it can perpetuate public mismanagement, corruption, and inequalities. What is worse, there is also the risk of politicizing data or cherry-picking it to justify predetermined conclusions. Misuse of data can erode public trust and weaken institutions.
However, this is not a dead-end situation. Governments need to realize the importance of data for their day-to-day work and prioritize and allocate resources to improve their situation. But also, multiple stakeholders beyond the government can contribute to reversing this problem. Stakeholders such as NGOs, businesses, and international organizations can play a crucial role in strengthening data ecosystems in countries with limited capacities. NGOs often act as intermediaries, providing technical support, advocating open data policies, and helping to build local data literacy. The private sector can contribute by investing in data infrastructure, offering innovative tools and platforms, and sharing private-sector data that can complement public statistics. International organizations, meanwhile, bring in global expertise, funding, and standardized methodologies, facilitating cross-border collaboration and helping ensure data quality and comparability.
To meet today’s challenges, governments need to invest in robust data systems, ensure open access to information, and train decision-makers to use evidence critically and constructively. Along with these efforts, the private and non-profit sector should get involved in supporting capacity-building, foster trust in data systems, and promote the use of data for evidence-based decision-making and sustainable development. A culture of data-driven policymaking does not guarantee perfect policies, but it makes progress far more likely. Because when we base decisions on reality, we have a greater chance of shaping a better future.
Inés Marrache Echaiz
Consultant
[1] Grown & Dews (March 2025). The US government data purge is a loss for policymaking and research.
[2] Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India (2019) National Clean Air Programme
Aggarwal, Mayank (2020) Is India’s national clean air plan on track?
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