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Thermostat or thermometer? A Finnish perspective on the overloaded role of sustainability indicators in societal transition
Author(s) -
Lyytimäki Jari
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
sustainable development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.115
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1099-1719
pISSN - 0968-0802
DOI - 10.1002/sd.1941
Subject(s) - sustainability , skepticism , sustainable development , set (abstract data type) , perspective (graphical) , quality (philosophy) , key (lock) , environmental economics , political science , process management , business , environmental resource management , economics , computer science , ecology , philosophy , computer security , epistemology , artificial intelligence , law , biology , programming language
Various expectations are placed on national‐level sustainability indicators. Ideally, they should serve as efficient tools for transformations, leading societies to sustainable paths by creating a comprehensive, reliable, timely, and easy‐to‐understand picture of the key ecological, socio‐cultural, and economic trends. Most, if not all, indicator initiatives so far have been unable to meet such grandiose expectations. This has evoked criticism of and scepticism towards the indicator approach, but has also motivated improvement of indicator sets and knowledge brokerage processes. This article discusses the role of sustainability indicators in societal transition by examining the experiences gained from the preparation and launch of a sustainable development indicator set specifically aimed at supporting national‐level policymaking in Finland. It is concluded that better recognition of the tensions between attempts to improve the quality of indicators and attempts to enhance their use in policy is key to meeting the expectations placed upon sustainability indicators.