Status Updates From Seeing Like a State: How Ce...

On the positive side a government can only provide services if it understands the people. Hence census and other data gathering.

Seeing like a state is such a pivot in thinking. It reminds me that a lot of the evil that has been done by governments was only possible and followed naturally from government wanting to control people and enabled because the government had good data and could see the people it was ruling. The need for a government to see it's people and territory alone leads to some horrible crimes.