Sustainability indicators, policy and governance: Issues for ecological economics

Hezri, Adnan A.; Dovers, Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.11.019

Cited by 287 publications

(220 citation statements)

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“…This can entail symbolic use and influence, where knowledge creation is a substitute for action or a delaying tactic (Vedung 1997;Ortega-Cerdà 2005). Indicators can serve as "strong justification" (Stirling 2006) by helping to justify predetermined positions and to persuade various actors about the qualities of policy plans that are already well on their way toward implementation (Hezri and Dovers 2006). Some types of indicator use have been framed as "misuse", involving, for instance, distortion or omission of significant elements (Grupp and Schubert 2010: 76).…”

Section: Distinguishing Between the "Use" And "Influence" Of Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…User factors consist of the "repertoires" of the actors involved in indicator production and use. 6 At the individual level, repertoires can be conceptualized as "stabilised ways of thinking and acting" (van der Meer 1999: 390) governing, for instance, the individual choices among the information available and the ways in which an actor positions him-or herself in relation to an indicator or indicator development process (Hezri and Dovers 2006). At the collective level, repertoires relate to the "stabilised codes, operations and technology" (van der Meer 1999: 390)-in our case, for instance, the degree to which the use and production of indicators is part of an organization's operational routines.…”

Section: Factors That Help To Explain the Use And Influence Of Indicamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can Indicators Bridge the Gap between Science and Policy? An Exploration into the (Non)Use and (Non)Influence of Indicators in EU and UK Policy Making

Sébastien¹,

Bauler²,

Lehtonen³

2014

Nature and Culture

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Article (Accepted Version) http://sro.sussex.ac.uk Sébastien, Léa, Bauler, Tom and Lehtonen, Markku (2014) Can indicators fill the gap between science and policy? An exploration of the (non) use and (non) influence of indicators in EU and UK policymaking. Nature and Culture, 9 (3). pp. 316-343. ISSN 1558-6073 This version is available from Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/50679/ This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies and may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the URL above for details on accessing the published version. Copyright and reuse:Sussex Research Online is a digital repository of the research output of the University.Copyright and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. To the extent reasonable and practicable, the material made available in SRO has been checked for eligibility before being made available.Copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. Can Indicators Bridge the Gap between Science and Policy? An Exploration into the (Non)Use and (Non)Influence of Indicators in EU and UK Policy-MakingLéa Sébastien, Tom Bauler, and Markku Lehtonen AbstractThis article examines the various roles that indicators, as boundary objects, can play as a science-based evidence for policy processes. It presents two case studies from the EU-funded POINT project that examined the use and influence of two highly different types of indicators: composite indicators of sustainable development at the EU level and energy indicators in the UK. In both cases indicators failed as direct input to policy making, yet they generated various types of conceptual and political use and influence. The composite sustainable development indicators served as "framework indicators", helping to advocate a specific vision of sustainable development, whereas the energy indicators produced various types of indirect influence, including through the process of indicator elaboration. Our case studies demonstrate the relatively limited importance of the characteristics and quality of indicators in determining the role of indicators, as compared with the crucial importance of "user factors" (characteristics of policy actors) and "policy factors" (policy context).

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Section: Distinguishing Between the "Use" And "Influence" Of Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Factors That Help To Explain the Use And Influence Of Indicamentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Indicators Bridge the Gap between Science and Policy? An Exploration into the (Non)Use and (Non)Influence of Indicators in EU and UK Policy Making

Sébastien¹,

Bauler²,

Lehtonen³

2014

Nature and Culture

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“…Arguments for the involvement of non-expert communities in the development and application of indicators and standards have been made on the grounds of their socio-cultural base, as well as their potential communicative function (Hezri and Dovers [2]). These arguments acknowledge that our understanding of urban sustainability is not exclusively derived from the environmental sciences, but is co-determined by socio-cultural concepts and practices.…”

Section: Community Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hezri and Dovers [2]; Keirstead and Leach [3]; Miller [4]; Munier [5]). They define the elements and goals of urban sustainability -that is, environmental, economic and social sustainable development in relation to urban settings.…”

Section: Urban Sustainability Indicators As Governance Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this perspective, indicators can be understood as functioning as strategic instruments to influence policy and as tools for social learning. Under governance, they have a 'soft' functioncompared with more coercive, regulatory governmental instruments -of mapping, steering, and enhancing communicative deliberation (Hezri and Dovers [2]). They constitute an institutional process of identifying policy, generating knowledge and applying that knowledge in practice.…”

Section: Urban Sustainability Indicators As Governance Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eco-city indicators: governance challenges

Joss

Tomozeiu

Cowley

2012

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

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According to the most recent (2011) global census of eco-city initiatives, there are currently 178 eco-city initiatives under development, representing a significant mainstreaming of urban sustainability in the last decade. As the number of eco-city initiatives grows, so the question of how to define eco-city indicators and establish standards becomes more pressing. While there are many sustainability standards and certification schemes available for use at building level (e.g. LEED, BREEAM), similar sustainability assessment and endorsement frameworks for the urban level have only recently begun to emerge. This article surveys the current situation by: (i) proposing a conceptual model of urban sustainability indicators from a governance perspective; (ii) presenting the findings of a comparative analysis of the use of urban sustainability indicators in nine eco-city initiatives; and (iii) outlining key challenges for the future development of international urban sustainability standards. It argues that the current situation is marked by a considerable diversity of practice and governance functions, and an ongoing tension between place-specificity and universal applicability as goals of urban sustainability.

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