The use, non-use and misuse of indicators in sustainability assessment and communication

Lyytimäki, Jari; Tapio, Petri; Varho, Vilja; Söderman, Tarja

doi:10.1080/13504509.2013.834524

Cited by 63 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This typology allows the clustering of manifest impacts whilst also paying attention to the 'politics of policymaking' (Bauler 2012). In their prefaces to sustainability reports, for example, mayors commonly express the wish to promote accountability, yet beyond such socially valued aims, any publication can also be used as 'ammunition' in political debates (Lyytimäki et al 2013). Since 'use' connotes intentionality, some researchers suggest also probing for information 'influence,' noting that use does not imply influence, and influence does not require conscious use (Lehtonen, Sébastien, and Bauler 2016).…”

Section: A Framework To Study Reporting Practices and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability reporting by local governments: a magic tool? Lessons on use and usefulness from European pioneers

Niemann

Hoppe

2017

Public Management Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A growing number of city governments worldwide engage in sustainability reporting, voluntarily and responding to legal pressures. Diverse practices emerged based on unique choices concerning formats, periodicity, authorship and dissemination efforts. Such design questions and associated outcomes are highly relevant for practitioners yet unaddressed in standard guidelines and most prior research that primarily concern content and conjectured reporting benefits. This article presents a framework suited to assessing real-life practices and outcomes. An exploratory evaluation in Amsterdam, Basel, Dublin, Freiburg, Nuremberg and Zurich suggests that sustainability reporting can benefit organizational change, management and communication yet also lead to 'fatigue' and discontinuation.

show abstract

Section: A Framework To Study Reporting Practices and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability reporting by local governments: a magic tool? Lessons on use and usefulness from European pioneers

Niemann

Hoppe

2017

Public Management Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Those assessments and indicators aim to produce and communicate information that is required for evidence-based policy-making, strategic planning and learning. To obtain the desired effects, indicators must be relevant and reliable; moreover, they must be communicated to the appropriate audience at the appropriate moment and in the appropriate manner (Lyytimäki et al 2013). To enhance the reliability and scientific rigor of the assessment results, the entire data sources involved in the M&E should have unified criteria and background information.…”

Section: Metadata Tracking Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data issue considerations for the monitoring and evaluation of natural resources and the environment – a case study of Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

Dong

et al. 2014

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ec

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The county-governed administrative area considered in this study is a unit with wide distributed basic geographical characteristics in China. In addition, the area is the basic organizer and manager of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system of the natural resources and environment (NRE) of China. To enhance the reliability and sustainability of the M&E system subjected to the NRE, the researchers should focus on the data sources and emphasize the data qualities that are of concern to various stakeholders. In this paper, an in-depth metadata analysis, based on the M&E indicator system of the NRE, is composed of two approaches and a typical practical case: (1) metadata tracking approach -generate the core parameters of each indicator, such as the publisher, the creator, the coverage, the update cycle and type; (2) questionnaire survey approach -invite some scholars, consultants and citizens to evaluate the feasibility and the accessibility of the data sources of the 22 preset M&E indicators and (3) practical case -acquire the data sources of the dynamic monitoring of NRE in Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China, including a backward economy and imperfect statistical systems. The goal of this research is to explore the basic status of M&E data of one vast county-governed area in China, with the hope to improve the stability of the M&E system of the NRE at the county level.

show abstract

“…6 Lyytimäki et al have recently developed a typology of indicator use, non-use and misuse. 7 Notwithstanding this growing literature scrutinising the policy role of SI, research remains divided both over questions on how indicators influence policy and on whether indicators exert any policy influence at all.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Policy Influence of Sustainability Indicators: Examining Use and Influence of Indicators in German Sustainability Policy Making

Borgnäs¹

2016

German Politics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In 2002 Germany adopted an ambitious national sustainability strategy, covering all three sustainability spheres and circling around 21 key indicators. The strategy stands out because of its relative stability over five consecutive government constellations, its high status and increasingly coercive nature. This article analyses the strategy's role in the policy process, focusing on the use and influence of indicators as a central steering tool. Contrasting rationalist and constructivist perspectives on the role of knowledge in policy, two factors, namely the level of consensus about policy goals and the institutional setting of the indicators, are found to explain differences in use and influence both across indicators and over time. Moreover, the study argues that the indicators have been part of a continuous process of 'structuring' in which conceptual and instrumental use together help structure the sustainability challenge in such a way that it becomes more manageable for government policy.

show abstract

The use, non-use and misuse of indicators in sustainability assessment and communication

Cited by 63 publications

References 52 publications

Sustainability reporting by local governments: a magic tool? Lessons on use and usefulness from European pioneers

Sustainability reporting by local governments: a magic tool? Lessons on use and usefulness from European pioneers

Data issue considerations for the monitoring and evaluation of natural resources and the environment – a case study of Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

The Policy Influence of Sustainability Indicators: Examining Use and Influence of Indicators in German Sustainability Policy Making

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About