Other
Re-framing the use and influence of indicators in the POINT project
The use of information in policy making has been critically examined in research areas such as evaluation research, planning and policy sciences. This research has moved the understanding of how information is adopted (or not) in policy making beyond assumptions of instrumental use (=knowledge applied to problem solving) towards the recognition of for example symbolic, tactical or more broadly ‘enlightening functions. ‘Indicators’ is a particular knowledge type with high pretence of relevance and usability for policy.
The paper will be written in the context of the research project POINT, which studies how indicators are used in practice, and to what extent and in what way indicators actually influence policy A preliminary theoretical framework for how to describe, evaluate and possibly explain how and indicators are influencing policies has been developed in POINT.
The paper will present this framework, and discuss how to review it, based on emerging lessons from empirical studies of indicator use in areas like sustainability, environment and transport policies. The aim of the presentation is to seek dialogue with sociological indicator scholars on how to conceptualize study and interpret the role of indicators in policy making.
Language: | English |
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Year: | 2010 |
Proceedings: | ISA World Congress of Sociology |
Types: | Other |
ORCIDs: | 0000-0002-7789-4335 |