Data-driven campaigning

Data-driven campaigning is widely seen as the latest iteration of modern campaigning practice. Reflecting the rise of digital technology and the availability of a raft of new analytics techniques, it is commonly argued that data has become the essential component of modern campaigns. And yet, whilst increasingly prominent in academic scholarship and public debate, there are important gaps in our understanding. Reviewing what we know about the definition, practice and significance of this activity, this entry distils a number of limitations in existing knowledge that affect the claims that can be made about data-driven campaigning.