The power of numbers – beyond economic and global statistics

What we measure, and how we measure it, is closely linked with the way we define and interpret development. A major strength of the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is that they have time-bound quantitative targets and measurable indicators. At the same time, the MDGs have been criticised for being too simplistic, neglecting social dimensions and inequalities in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and other variables. As the High Level Panel on the post-2015 agenda recently concluded: ‘We need a data revolution.”