Crises are often described as moments of rupture, when the ordinary patterns of life and governance are suspended. Yet beneath this surface, crises perform a deeper function. They accelerate long-term projects by suspending ordinary scrutiny and compressing political time. What appears as a temporary emergency becomes, in practice, a mechanism for transformation.

Economic statistics appear neutral, offering precise figures whose authority rests on the belief they are consistently produced, free from political influence or short-term pressures.