Data Visualisation and Policymaking

We are witnessing a proliferation of data visualisations. However, we have little understanding of this trend and its impacts. What are data visualisers responding to? Are they driven by a need to make complex data more digestible for policymakers or the general public? Is there a drive to visualise all types of data or is there only a drive to visualise certain types of data that are deemed relevant? In which case, what forces shape what data is made visible in the first place? Taking a critical stance on the use of data visualisations, we want to provoke a reflection and consideration of what forms of knowledge, and epistemologies more broadly, are privileged in a world that is increasingly preoccupied with datafication and data visualisations. With these thoughts in mind we ask, what impact does data visualisation have on policy? Is this a particularly effective way to convey data or are we being swept up in a trend that may not be conveying our data in the ways we understand?

These questions will be explored and theorised through a workshop and a special issue that brings together academics and practitioners from multiple disciplines, including political science, digital media, and international law, for a workshop to explore the interaction of data visualisations and policy. The workshop and resulting special issue will take an expansive view of what constitutes data visualisation including everything from infographics to artistic renderings.