About indexes and their disclosure

I remember that a few years ago I argued the thesis that lack of information actually could be valuable as a promoter of development. On some occasions, ignorance of certain matters kept alive the dreams of finding the greener valley. These dreams are the ones that drove Americans to invest in Italy, Italians to move to Venezuela and Venezuelans to find work in the United States. This generated economic growth all around.

The increasing speed of today’s information flow raises some doubts. Although it is certainly advantageous to insure that correct and relevant information as well as good news is transmitted rapidly, it is also certain that this same speed is usually applied when propagating incorrect and irrelevant information as well as increasing volumes of bad news. For some not totally identified reason, I feel that the magnifying effect of speed upon bad information is somehow greater that on good information. Making peace, for example, requires much time that is often not available. Provoking war is often a matter of seconds.

Some of the previous concerns plus the fact that we continuously observe how media can make so much of so little have made this whole evolution of jumping from blissful ignorance into urgent pseudo certainties a quite important issue to me.