Governing through Metrics in the Digital Age

Building on insights from research on surveillance and valuation in the context of digitization, this article analyses the growing use of algorithmically driven metrics that help quantify human conduct and discusses some of its implications. As such, metrics operate both as technologies of surveillance and providers of an imaginary of social values which is put into play in the governance of people, organizations and societies. To illustrate, the article peeks into the Chinese Social Credit System and similar projects elsewhere. It demonstrates how the digitization of governance is entangled with broader issues of surveillance and valuation, and it suggests the usefulness of synthesizing key insights from bodies of literatures that are not commonly brought together. [