Data is not a mirror.
It's an engine.
This interactive report explores the Global Data Barometer through the lens of Constructor Theory—a radical idea from fundamental physics. It reframes the GDB not as a neutral reflection of the world, but as a purpose-built machine designed to perform specific tasks. This analysis reveals the hidden forces that shape what knowledge is possible to create, and what remains impossible.
The Knowledge Production Line
The journey from raw reality to impactful action is a series of physical transformations. Each step is a construction task, performed by a constructor, that changes one physical medium (the substrate) into another. Click each stage to see how it works.
Select a stage to learn more.
The Architects of the Engine
The Global Data Barometer itself is a constructed object. Powerful, often unseen "meta-constructors"—funders, partners, and ideological allies—design the machine and define the tasks it can perform. This Causal Constructor Chain reveals the flow of influence. Click on the constructor nodes to see their specific goals.
Select a constructor to see its influence.
The Engine's Blind Spots
The design of the constructor inevitably creates blind spots and reveals systemic failures. The GDB's own findings highlight these "impossible tasks"—where the potential for good governance fails to be constructed into reality.
The Implementation Gap
The GDB reveals a major inefficiency: countries often have good data governance (laws and policies), but this potential dissipates before it's constructed into actual data availability and use. This chart shows a representative example of this "failed construction".
Interoperability Failure
A key GDB finding is the lack of interoperability between critical datasets. This prevents the creation of knowledge about the flow of money and influence. The diagram shows where connections are possible vs. impossible. Click a broken link to see why.
The Unseen Landscape
The most profound consequence of the GDB's design is the vast landscape of questions that remain unasked and unmeasured. This is the "sea of impossibility"—the knowledge that the current engine is forbidden from constructing.
The GDB's Scope
The "Archipelago of the Possible"