The multiple roles of sustainability indicators in informational governance: between intended use and unanticipated influence

Markku Lehtonen 1 Léa Sébastien 2 Tom Bauler 3
1 GSPR - Groupe de Sociologie Pragmatique et Réflexive
2 GEODE - Géographie de l'environnement
3 Chaire économie et environnement
ULB - Université Libre de Bruxelles [Bruxelles]
Abstract : Indicators of sustainable development (SDIs), societal progress and wellbeing are perceived as informational tools vital for sustainability governance. The literature has thus far overwhelmingly concentrated on improving the technical quality of the indicators, while the role of these indicators in policy processes remains under-researched. Drawing on literature concerning policy evaluation and assessments — as well as the emerging literature on the interplay between indicators and policy — this article identifies a number of issues central for the role of SDIs in governance processes. It draws attention to the multiple indirect pathways through which these indicators exert their influence, highlighting the conceptual and political roles of SDIs. The conclusions outline a number of trade-offs and ambiguities inherent in the use and development of indicators.
Keywords : sustainability governance indicators of sustainable development
Document type :
Journal articles
Complete list of metadatas

Cited literature [56 references]  Display  Hide  Download
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01511021
Contributor : Emilie Gil <>
Submitted on : Thursday, April 20, 2017 - 11:32:46 AM
Last modification on : Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - 5:58:03 PM
Long-term archiving on : Friday, July 21, 2017 - 12:52:11 PM

File

COSUST final 2015_cor.pdf
Explicit agreement for this submission

Identifiers

Collections

UNIV-TLSE2 | EHESS | GEODE | PSL

Citation

Markku Lehtonen, Léa Sébastien, Tom Bauler. The multiple roles of sustainability indicators in informational governance: between intended use and unanticipated influence. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Elsevier, 2016, 18, pp.1 - 9. ⟨10.1016/j.cosust.2015.05.009⟩. ⟨hal-01511021⟩

Export

BibTeX TEI DC DCterms EndNote

Share

Metrics

Record views

576

Files downloads

763

Contact

CCSD