Politics by Number: Indicators as Social Pressure in International Relations

TLDR

Monitoring state behavior is a critical tool of international governance, enabling the creation of numerical indicators that rank, compare, and censure states. The article argues that widely disseminated numerical indicators constitute an exercise of social power capable of altering key policy outcomes. The authors examine the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report and watch list, showing that inclusion or watch‑list status increases a country’s likelihood of criminalizing human trafficking.

Abstract

The ability to monitor state behavior has become a critical tool of international governance. Systematic monitoring allows for the creation of numerical indicators that can be used to rank, compare, and essentially censure states. This article argues that the ability to disseminate such numerical indicators widely and instantly constitutes an exercise of social power, with the potential to change important policy outputs. It explores this argument in the context of the United States’ efforts to combat trafficking in persons and find evidence that monitoring has important effects: Countries are more likely to criminalize human trafficking when they are included in the U.S. annual Trafficking in Persons Report, and countries that are placed on a “watch list” are also more likely to criminalize. These findings have broad implications for international governance and the exercise of soft power in the global information age.