Beyond indicator industry?

Use and potential influences of sustainable development indicators in national and EU-

level

Janne Rinne, Jari Lyytimäki, Petrus KauttoFinnish Environment Institute

jari.lyytimaki@ymparisto.fi

21.04.23

Introduction

POINT (POlicy Influence of INdicaTors) Selected key results from case studies of

Sustainable Development Indicators (SDI) in EU and Finland

In this presentation we:• chart the level and type of use of SDIs• identify reasons for use or non-use of

indicators, and possible resulting influences

• discuss factors that explain use and influence

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Background

The typology employed in the POINT project Http://www.point-eufp7.info/

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Factors determining influence

- Indicator

- User

- Policy

Forms of use

- Instrumental

- Conceptual

- Political

Methods and material

Document analysis• SD strategies, indicator reports, related evaluation

reports and policy documents

Semi-structured interviews• EU: seven interviews of high-level civil servants and

highly qualified practitioners and users of SDIs (2010) • Finland: a focus group interview and four individual

interviews (2009 – 2010) + interviews of over 40 high-level policy-makers and experts (2001-2002), interviews of 20 experts, practitioners and policy-makers (2008)

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Overview of Finnish SD strategies and indicators

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Overview of EU SD strategies and indicators

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Current use of indicatorsUsers Use Types of

useRole of indicator Influence

Secretariat-General of the European Commission, Finnish National Commission on SD,evaluators of SD strategy

Monitoring and evaluation of SD strategy

Instrumental

Provides data for SD policy evaluation

SD policy evaluated

Secretariat-General of the European Commission, Finnish National Commission on SD

Revision of SD strategy

Instrumental, conceptual

Represents content of SDPriority setting Problem identification

Reformulation of SD policy

SD indicator developers

SD indicator design

Conceptual Arena for discussion, confrontation and learning

Learning, consensus and trust building

Civil servants of DGs (outside SD policy area)

Policy preparation

Instrumental, conceptual, political

Priority setting Problem identificationLegitimizes policies

(Re)formulation of policies

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Potential use of indicatorsUsers Use Types of

useRole of indicator Influence

Civil servantsPolicy-makers (outside SD policy area)

Policy preparation

Instrumental, conceptual, political

Describes the issues and trends in SD Priority setting Problem identification

(Re)formulation of policies

NGOsPressure groups

LobbyingAwareness raising

Political Problem identificationSupports argumentation

SD issues raised to political debate, political pressure

Journalists Media

Communicating SD issues

Conceptual, political

Describes the issues and trends in SD

SD issues raised to political debate Political pressure

Private citizens

Receiving information about SD

Conceptual Describes the issues and trends in SD

Change in public perceptions, voting, lifestyles

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Use confined inside the “indicator industry” The previous practices of indicator development

and institutionalized reporting mechanisms largely determine the current “instrumental” use of SDIs

Instrumental use is confined inside “the indicator industry”

Instrumental use of SDIs by other actors appears to be very scarce

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Influence related to the SD policies

SDIs are systematically used in the monitoring of SD strategies

Indicator, evaluation and progress reports are produced for this purpose

SDIs are used in revisions of SD strategies The indicator development and SD strategy

revisions have been parallel and iterative processes where the indicators have influenced the strategies, and vice versa

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Challenge of delivering the holistic overall picture Individual SDIs are used to some extent in different

policy areas Some indicators were considered influential (e.g.

GDP and GHG emissions) Sector specific information often is more abundant,

detailed and up-to-date than SDIs Selective use of SDIsSDIs do not bring holistic perspective of SD into

policy-making (outside the SD policy area)

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Indicator factors explaining the use and influence Barriers for the use:

• Poor timeliness (time-lags), complexity, lack of clear message, inappropriate timing of the indicator release, the poor visual quality and technical characteristics, unfocused target audience

• Methods to communicate the indicators may not match the needs of the target audience

Possibilities to enhance the use and influence:• Technical improvements• More focus on communication process and on the

context of use

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User factors explaining the use and influence

The potential users of SD indicators may not have the expertise to interpret all the indicators

SDIs mainly used by indicator experts in "indicator industry”

Non-use by media, NGOs, policy-makers and citizens

The importance of stakeholder involvement Unrealistic expectations: Evidence based vs.

emotion based decision-making?

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Policy factors explaining the use and influence Lack of measurable targets in SD strategies Vagueness and lack of focus of the concept of SD The concept of SD has lost lot of its power as

rhetorical innovation and thus ability to direct and inspire action

SD policy is not high priority in the general political agenda. SDIs perhaps replaced by well-being/happiness indicators?

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Conclusions

Instrumental use is confined inside the indicator industry

Seeing indicators purely in instrumental terms is unlikely to reveal all the influences of SDIs

SDIs may play a conceptual role in:• acting as tools that enhance learning, initiating or

stimulating political debate, acting boundary objects, adding focus on unstructured policies, enabling trust and consensus building between actors

Lack of influence: a matter of unrealistic expectations?

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Future considerations

Relationship between SDIs and well-being or happiness indicators: novel insights of just re-inventing the wheel?

Non-intended use and influence of SDIs

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Thank you for your attention!

Http://www.point-eufp7.info/

Jari LyytimäkiFinnish Environment Institutejari.lyytimaki@ymparisto.fi

21.04.23