Symbolic Power in Development Politics: Can “Fragile States” Fight with Numbers?

Abstract

The fragile states agenda has recently converged with the so-called culture of measuring for results, creating standards often seen by critics as donor driven. The newly established Sustainable Development Goals now invite a data revolution that can see yet more intense practices of quantification. Nevertheless, this article argues such practices can be widening windows of opportunity for change. It looks at the g7+ group of self-labeled fragile states and its tools for self-measurement. These tools closely resemble mainstream quantification, but also bring key contributions. In fact, direct opposition on the part of fragile states is perhaps as possible as it once was for the so-called Third World; on the other hand, the article suggests subtle power can perhaps be countered by subtle change.