In this article, we contest globalised notions of data as 'universally' beneficial, necessary and 'evidence-based'. We do so by drawing upon narrative accounts of the problematic ways data impact educators researching and working in university and schooling settings over time and in varied national contexts. We reveal how data are transient and…

The comparability and quality of UNESCO's international education statistics have been questioned since the end of the 1980s, when other international agencies started producing their own indicators on education. This evolution coincides with the new strategic role given to education in national and international economic programmes, and marks the…

Writing primarily as a researcher concerned with data for national application, author indicates some of the insights that can be gained from comparative studies by workers in other fields. (Editor/RK)