Indices and Indicators in Development: An Unhealthy Obsession with NumbersRoutledge, 2013 M06 17 - 224 pages The use of numbers to condense complex systems into easily digested 'bites' of information is very much in fashion. At one level they are intended to enhance transparency, accountability and local democracy, while at another they provide a means of enhancing performance. However, all indicators suffer from the same basic problem that, ironically, is also their biggest advantage - condensing something highly complex into a few simple numbers. Love them or hate them, there is no denying that people use indicators to make decisions. Indices and Indicators explores the use of indicators within the field of human development. Part I provides a brief outline of the contested meaning of 'development' and how indices and indicators have been used as means of testing the realization of these development visions in practice in a range of institutional contexts. Part II discusses the limitations of such indices and indicators and illustrates how they are dependent upon the vision of development adopted. The book also suggests how indices and indicators can best be employed and presented. Given our overwhelming reliance on indices and indicators for measuring progress, directing policy and allocating resources, this book is essential core reading for academics, undergraduate and post-graduate students in social science, economics, geography and development studies as well as development practitioners, policy-makers and donor and international funding agencies. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 83
... example Values of GDP and GNP (both adjusted for PPP) for the Irish economy (1970–2000) Illustration of depth of poverty Illustration of average depth of poverty Two different distributions of income below a notional poverty line of $1 ...
... Example university league table for the UK League table of primary schools in Reading, UK, based on aggregate scores ... Example calculation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the US economy 'Openness' of economies measured in terms ...
... objective authority that commands respect. But such power works both ways and can be used to support recommended action from all sorts of perspectives, including positions that are entirely contradictory. For example, much depends Preface.
... example, much depends on who selects the indicators, the ways in which they are 'measured' and presented. The power held by those wielding indicators is rarely acknowledged, and instead the processes of creation and use are presented in ...
... example, while there are many technical definitions of an indicator (Gallopin, 1997), a typical description is that they are: 'an operational representation of an attribute (quality, characteristic, property) of a system' (Gallopin ...
Contents
1 | |
Economics | 33 |
Poverty | 60 |
4 Integrating Development Indicators | 83 |
5 The Precarious Art of Simplfying Complexity | 118 |
6 Taking Care With Development Indicators | 150 |
7 A Comparative Indicatorology | 176 |
Notes | 184 |
References | 185 |
Factor Analysis A Brief Introduction | 194 |
Index | 203 |
Other editions - View all
Indices and Indicators in Development: An Unhealthy Obsession with Numbers? Stephen Morse Limited preview - 2013 |
Indices and Indicators in Development: An Unhealthy Obsession with Numbers Stephen Morse Limited preview - 2013 |
Indices and Indicators in Development: An Unhealthy Obsession with Numbers? Stephen Morse Limited preview - 2004 |