Von Zahlen, Politik und Macht

Statistics is not only an important element in the presentation of demographic and social phenomena, but also a central tool of state administration. Like most modern states, the Swiss federal state, followed by some cantons, established a statistical office. Statistics have thus become an important source of information in the political decision-making process. However, the history of official statistics in Switzerland, which are now public statistics, shows more than just the development of an administrative branch. It is more a question of power relations, of interests in knowledge, even of the sovereignty to interpret political, economic and social issues. Over the past fifty years, these statistics have undergone a profound reorientation. Instead of a discrete tool of administration, official statistics should increasingly be the Bev.