Governance by indicators: the case of the Digital Agenda for Europe

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to analyse how the European Union (EU) evaluates its digital policies in the context of the Digital Agenda for Europe. In fact, the evaluation process, the indicators that the EU produces and uses to this aim, how it measures states’ performance in this field are all relevant issues mirroring the idea of (digital) Europe that the EU intends to build. Drawing on previous studies that have emphasised the political aspects of measurement and the governmentality power of indicators, the authors maintain that the way the EU measures the implementation of digital policies reflects a neoliberal vision of what a digital Europe should look like; furthermore, through rankings and ratings, the EU exerts a governmentality power on member states by conducting their behaviour at a distance. After introducing the theme, the study deepens the political dimension of evaluation and unfolds its crucial connection with neoliberalisation. Then it focuses on the European case, with a qualitative content analysis of the indicators included in three datasets that the European Commission has created over time: the Digital Agenda Key Indicators (DAKI), the Lead indicators for DG Connect policy priorities, and the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). The article ends with some remarks about the kind of digital Europe promoted by indicators.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital policies
• digital agenda
• European Union
• neoliberalisation
• governance
• indicators

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Diego Giannone is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Department of Political Sciences ‘Jean Monnet’ of the University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Caserta, Italy. His research interests focus on neoliberalism, measurement of democracy, political dimension of indicators, and the transformation of the State. His main publications include: The Politics of Global Indicators in Designing, Promoting and Legitimating the Competition State. Partecipazione e Conflitto, 10(2), 2017, 472–491; and Political and Ideological Aspects in the Measurement of Democracy: the Freedom House Case. Democratization, 17(1), 2010, 68–97. [email: [email protected]].

Mauro Santaniello is a researcher at the Department of Political, Social and Communication Sciences of the University of Salerno, Italy. He teaches ‘Political Science’ and ‘Internet Policy’ and is vice-director of the Internet & Communication Policy Centre (ICPC). His research interests are in the field of Internet governance, politics and policy. His recent publications include: The language of digital constitutionalism and the role of national parliaments. International Communication Gazette 80(4), 2018, 320-336; Internet Public Policy. Politiche pubbliche e governance delle reti digitali, 2018, Roma: Aracne ed.; and Internet Governance, in Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, 2017, Cham: Springer. [email: [email protected]].

ORCID

Diego Giannone http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6847-5219

Mauro Santaniello http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5582-622X