Table 5.1 : Indicator Criteria for SUSDEV 21
| Capable of
Prediction. Since the purpose of the indicators developed for the study was to
provide the basis for the CASET decision support tool, it was important that they were
formulated in such a way as to facilitate prediction of changes in their value resulting
from the evaluation of strategic policies and projects. Uni-Directional. Since the indicators are used to evaluate the implications of policy, it is important that changes in the indicator can be interpreted in a straightforward manner. For example the reason for a change in direction of some indicators, in particular those associated with resourcing, may be ambiguous. Taking an indicator on crime rate as an example, the cause of an increase in the indicator could be differently interpreted as either a worsening of the crime situation, or conversely an increase in crime detection as a result of greater police resourcing. Indicator formulation for the study therefore needed to be undertaken with care so that changes in the indicator can be linked to clear changes in underlying conditions. Number of Indicators. In selecting indicators to represent the range of guiding principles, a significant hurdle was the requirement to have a sufficient number of indicators to be representative of the key sustainability issues, and at the same time to restrict the overall 'pool' of indicators to a workable total for use in the decision support tool, CASET. Where possible, the approach focused on identification of composite indicators which would be relevant to more than one guiding principle. |