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Module indicator selection may be limited. Notwithstanding, it is still valuable for you to select indicators that
4 have the best possible fit with the IEA process.

Part of the process of selecting good indicators is weighing them against a set of indicator criteria.
Selecting indicators can be a balancing act, with trade-offs among such factors as ensuring they are
relevant to society and policy-makers, scientifically sound and accurate, and easy to interpret with a
9-12 December, 2013 and OECD (1993) are commonly cited as useful in the indicator selection process.
reasonable degree of accuracy and precision. The following criteria, drawn from the World Bank (1997)

Indicators should:
be developed within an accepted conceptual framework;
?

be scientifically credible and based on high-quality data;
? ? be clearly defined, easy to understand and interpret, and able to show trends over time;
? be policy relevant;

? be relevant to users, politically acceptable and a basis for action;
? be responsive to changes in the environment and related human activities;

? provide a basis for international comparison by providing a threshold or reference value;
? be subject to aggregation (from household to community, from community to nation);

? be objective (be independent of the data collector);

? have reasonable data requirements (either data that are available or data that can be collected
periodically at low cost); and
? be limited in number.

An important consideration is selecting the appropriate number of indicators. Too many indicators may
create “noise” that is difficult to interpret, while too few indicators limit the scope of understanding.
Selecting indicators based on a select set of priority issues is an increasingly common way of limiting
the number of indicators.

Participatory process

Because indicators are intended to help inform decisions that affect society, indicators better serve society
when they reflect the diverse perspectives held by multiple stakeholders, such as citizens and citizen
groups, private and public sectors, and policy-makers. As shown in the following figure, participatory
processes occur across the spectrum of indicator development, from an initial identification of broadly-
held values and issues that inform indicator selection, to more focused tasks of setting indicator targets
and criteria for performance.

48 Monitoring, Data and Indicators