An indicator is
a sign that stands for or represents something, or more specifically a variable
that summarizes or simplifies relevant information, makes a phenomenon visible
or perceptible, or quantifies, measures and communicates relevant information
(Gallopin, in Moldan
et al., 1997).
Measuring or expressing something with an indicator makes it visible and
creates the possibility of managing or improving it.
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The concept of indicators is defined
in various ways, and the terms criteria, benchmark,
and indicator are often used interchangeably, although they
don't necessarily mean the same thing. The term indicator will
be used to refer to "a quantitative, qualitative or descriptive measure
that, when periodically... monitored" can show the quality,
direction, pace and results of change.
Indicators can be assembled in
various ways. For instance, topically related indicators measuring progress in
health, education or agriculture might be grouped into a table of measures (a
set of indicators). The same indicators might be compiled into an index and
then presented as a single, composite measure such as a health profile index,
an education index or a food security index. Or, a broad spectrum of
indicators related to various phenomena may be expressed in a single measure,
such as the "infant mortality rate."
Rarely can an indicator stand alone
as a meaningful source of information. Progress is not an event or a
statistic, but a process - a trend made up of numerous factors. It cannot be
expressed by one measure or by reference to a single point in time. Indicators
must, therefore, be placed in a specific temporal context and correlated with
measures of other related factors.
Throughout the world, indicators are
used by various actors, from United Nations (UN) agencies, governments and community
groups, to businesses, educational institutions, policy groups and
academicians. Indicators do not change reality, but they do help to shape the
way we perceive it, and they serve to forge a common understanding of
development. They are, therefore, of fundamental importance to a complex and
rapidly changing world. For instance, they can be used to graph trends and
indicate relationships, thereby helping to define issues and clarify challenges
that confront a particular society. They provide information that may indicate
a need for adjustments and corrections to policies, goals, priorities,
programs, attitudes and behaviours. Indicators can be used to draw attention to
particular issues, to create public awareness, commitment and activism around
specific needs and challenges. They can suggest a more equitable allocation of
limited resources, or trigger a shift of resources from one area to another
where there is an identified, pressing need. Hence, in a real sense,
"indicators don't just monitor progress; they help make it happen."
On the other hand, there are numerous shortcomings and pitfalls associated with indicators. For instance, statistics, which serve as the basis of most indicators, can be subject to various configurations and interpretations. Many indicator sets are time static; others are very narrow in focus, yet they are taken to represent a community's state of well-being and progress. Furthermore, too often indicators are not paired with goals nor are they viewed through the lens of historical process.
What is the meaning of development ?
Development, is an organic process in which "the spiritual is expressed and carried out in the material." Meaningful development requires that the seemingly antithetical processes of individual progress and social advancement, of globalization and decentralization, and of promoting universal standards and fostering cultural diversity, be harmonized. In our increasingly interdependent world, development efforts must be guided by a vision of the type of world community we wish to create and be animated by a set of universal values. Just institutions, from the local to the planetary level, and systems of governance in which people can assume responsibility for the institutions and processes that affect their lives, are also essential.
The state of development indicators today
Today, there are numerous notable
efforts, many of which are still conceptual in nature, to extend the boundaries
of what is valued and measured, to make development indicators more reflective
of what actually constitutes individual and community progress. These efforts,
which involve a diversity of organizations, institutions and individuals at all
levels of society, are attempting to define and measure progress in terms of
such concepts as human capital, social
capital, culture,, social integration and community
well-being.
For example, the annual Human
Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
with its Human Development Index, has been instrumental in broadening the range
and scope of development indicators that are considered within the UN system
and by governments around the world. The global action plans that came out
of the major UN conferences of this decade have
helped shift the dominant view of development from that of a top-down, largely
technically and economically driven process to one in which people and
communities increasingly define and take responsibility for their own progress.
These action plans have called for the creation and use of indicators that
capture this emerging focus on people and communities. In a series of
Joint Occasional Papers recently issued by the United Nations Research
Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the concept of cultural indicators,
including individual and social well-being, and the ability of people to live
together, is explored within various frameworks. The World Bank itself has
been at the forefront of developing the concept of social capital and
of seeking ways to measure it. Moreover, NGOs, foundations and community
groups have initiated various indicator projects that seek to measure, and thus
value, people- and community-centered development; these projects often
involve the community in conceiving and developing indicators.
As important as such efforts are,
they are only preliminary steps in the process of charting a new direction for
the human family. Not only do these efforts need to be greatly expanded, but
new approaches to conceptualizing and measuring both the tangible and the
intangible aspects of development need to be explored and developed. Notions of
what constitute efficacious measures of development need to be closely examined
to determine the extent to which they take into account that which is central
to human purpose and motivation.
In the following sections, one such
approach - developing spiritually based indicators for development - is
considered.
Spiritually Based Indicators for Development: Initial
Considerations
The idea of developing spiritually
based indicators for development is timely. The initial ground is being
prepared, in part, by a growing number of efforts to have spiritual values and
principles seriously considered in development. "Moreover, the concept of
spirituality and spiritual values, once almost taboo in most UN
development-related deliberations, is now being articulated at the highest
levels.
Spiritually based indicators assess
development progress as a function of the application of spiritual
principles. These indicators are based on universal principles which are
essential to the development of the human spirit and, therefore, to individual
and collective progress. These measures emerge from a vision of development in
which material progress serves as a vehicle for spiritual and cultural
advancement.
Spiritually based indicators help to
establish, clarify and prioritize goals, policies and programs. At the heart of
their conceptualization is the understanding that human nature is fundamentally
spiritual and that spiritual principles, which resonate with the human soul,
provide an enormous motivational power for sacrifice and change. Therefore, the
peoples of the world will be much more inclined to support policies and
programs that emerge from the development of indicators based on spiritual
principles than they would be to endorse objectives and initiatives which are
based on a purely material conception of life. The use of these measures could,
thus, help to transform not only the vision but the actual practice of development.
The components of a spiritually based
indicator include a vision of a peaceful and united future; the selected
principle(s) crucial to the realization of that future; the policy area
addressed by the principle(s); and the goal toward which the measure assesses
progress. The indicator is quantitatively or qualitatively measurable and
verifiable, and it is adaptable within a wide diversity of contexts without
violating the integrity of the principle(s) involved.
The following section explores
briefly five principles that might be used in constructing spiritually based
indicators of development.
Spiritually Based Indicators: Five Foundational Principles
Based on the vision of a just, united
and sustainable global civilization, five spiritual principles that are
foundational to the realization of such a future are presented. While they are
by no means the only principles necessary to consider, it is felt that these
five contain a sufficient diversity of concepts to serve as starting point for
this effort. In some cases, two closely related principles are paired. As the
intent of this section is merely to suggest some principles that might be
explored, each is only cursorily treated. However, since these principles are
the very basis of the indicators that would be constructed, it would be
extremely important to clearly define them in the initial stage of the work.
The five principles are
1. unity in diversity;
2. equity and justice;
3. equality of the sexes;
4. trustworthiness and moral leadership; and
5. independent investigation of truth.
Spiritually Based Indicators: Five Priority Policy Areas
1.
economic development;
2. education;
3. environmental stewardship
4. meeting basic needs in food, nutrition, health and
shelter; and
5. governance and participation
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Toward the Development of Spiritually Based Indicators: Possible
Collaborative Steps
This article has presented a certain
vision of the future and, based on that vision, has briefly examined spiritual
principles that might be used in constructing indicators of progress toward
this future. It has considered policy areas in which these principles might be
applied in order to generate goals and, ultimately, indicators to measure progress
toward these goals. Finally, it has given brief examples of how such
spiritually based measures might be conceived and developed.
The approach taken here does not
follow the process normally associated with creating indicators. That is,
indicator creation usually, though not always, follows the establishment of
policies and goals. However, community groups and others are, increasingly,
approaching indicator development by first creating a vision, then identifying
the principles that underlie that vision, then looking at policy areas in which
to create goals based on those principles, and, finally, constructing
indicators to measure progress toward these goals. This is the approach taken
in this paper. Once spiritually based indicators become commonplace, any number
of approaches will arrive at the same purpose: infusing spiritual principles
into our understanding, practice and assessment of development.
The actual identification of goals and
the construction of spiritually based indicators for development might be
undertaken as a collaborative process. In considering the following proposal,
neither the steps, nor the principles, nor the policy areas suggested above
would need to be taken as starting points.
The proposal is this: that
representatives of the world's religions be brought together, perhaps under the
aegis of the World Bank, or another international development agency such as
the United Nations Development Programme, to begin consulting on spiritual
principles and their bearing on individual and collective progress.The initial
aim of this effort - which should be seen, from the outset, as substantive,
time consuming and on-going - would be to reach understanding on a limited
number of spiritual principles that are shared universally and a set of
priority policy areas in which they would be applied. Based on these principles
and priority areas, goals would be generated and indicators constructed to
measure progress toward these goals. Other aims might be added as the
consultations progress. To the degree that a common vision can be articulated,
the endeavor will be strengthened. While the representatives would not have to
be involved in technical aspects such as calculating quantitative measures -
the development agency involved might assume this responsibility - they would
need to review the indicators, once assembled, and be involved in any reworking
called for after they have been tested.
Religious differences should not
prove insurmountable to such an initiative, for there exists an underlying
thread of unity connecting the world's great religious traditions. They each
propound basic spiritual truths and standards of behavior that constitute the
very basis of social cohesion and collective purpose. The religions should,
therefore, be able to collaborate on an effort that draws on and honors their
deepest truths and holds such promise for humanity.
As this process advances, it might
benefit by drawing on certain work that is already under way in the field of
development, such as the global action plans from the recent series of UN
conferences. In these action plans, the governments of the world have committed
to "social, economic and spiritual development" and
to "achieving a world of greater stability and peace, built on ethical
and spiritual vision." They have acknowledged that their
"societies must respond more effectively to the material and spiritual
needs of individuals, their families and the communities in which they
live. not only as a matter of urgency but also as a matter of sustained and
unshakable commitment through the years ahead." Moreover, they have
affirmed that "development is inseparable from the cultural, ecological, economic,
political and spiritual environment in which it takes
place." These same governments have also recognized that
"individuals should be allowed to develop to their full potential,
including healthy physical, mental and spiritual development," and
that "[r]eligion, spirituality and belief play a central role
in the lives of millions of women and men, in the way they live and in the
aspirations they have for the future." (Italics added for
emphasis.)
These commitments, along with the
policies, goals and programs suggested in these action plans, carry the weight
of global consensus. In this sense, they represent the highest common
understanding of development priorities and approaches that the international
community has been able to reach. On the other hand, beyond general statements
about the fundamental role and importance of spirituality, spiritual vision and
spiritual development, these global agreements offer no coherent picture of
what these terms mean, and current development measures - the determinants of
"success" - by and large, fail to take spiritual factors into
account. Still, it must be acknowledged that these action plans have recognized
that spirituality is part and parcel of development and they do attempt to
articulate certain principles such as tolerance and solidarity, some in greater
detail and with greater success than others. Therefore, the consultations of
the religious representatives could be deeply enriched by a study of these
documents. Moreover, these consultations may very well generate policies and
goals similar to those found in the global agreements and could, consequently,
benefit from considering the prescriptions that the agreements contain.
However, since the policies and goals developed by the religious representatives
would be based on clearly identified spiritual principles, they would much more
likely be supported by people than those based on predominantly material
considerations.
By calling for the creation of
development indicators in each of the global action plans, the United Nations
has set in motion processes at the national and global levels for establishing
appropriate measures of progress. The work on spiritually based indicators
might, eventually, tie into these initiatives.
As these spiritually based measures
are developed and put into use, consultative processes might be established
nationally and locally in which communities would be encouraged either to adapt
these indicators to their particular conditions, or to develop similar measures
independent of this global initiative. The process of adapting or creating such
indicators would, in and of itself, be enlightening and empowering for those
involved. Moreover, the programs and policies that would eventually emerge from
these processes would, in all likelihood, win the support of many people and
draw formal endorsements from religious institutions and communities.
The creation of spiritually based
indicators would not be the ultimate purpose of this initiative. Rather, it
would be to place spiritual principles at the center of development, to use
them in setting standards, policies and programs, and to draw on them to
motivate individual and collective action. However, by demonstrating that the
application of spiritual principles is both practical and measurable, the
acceptance of spirituality as the very soul of development can be significantly
furthered. Creating spiritually based measures for development is, therefore,
not only timely, but essential.
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