Indicators as a Technology of Global Governance

The use of indicators is a prominent feature of contemporary global governance.Indicators are used to compare and rank states for purposes as varied as deciding how to allocate foreign aid or investment and determining whether states have complied with their treaty obligations. This article defines...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law & society review 2012-03, Vol.46 (1), p.71-104
Main Authors: Davis, Kevin E., Kingsbury, Benedict, Merry, Sally Engle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Banking
Business indicators
Commercial regulation
Corporate governance
Decision making
Economic regulation
Foreign Aid
Foreign Investment
Globalization
Governance
Governors
Human rights
Hypotheses
Indexes (Measures)
Indicators
International cooperation
International governance
International law
NGOs
Nongovernmental organizations
Obligation
Political protest
Technological change
Technology
Topology
Treaties
United Nations
World Bank
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Summary:The use of indicators is a prominent feature of contemporary global governance.Indicators are used to compare and rank states for purposes as varied as deciding how to allocate foreign aid or investment and determining whether states have complied with their treaty obligations. This article defines the concept of an indicator, analyzes distinctive features of indicators as technologies of governance, and identifies various ways in which the use of indicators has the potential to alter the topology and dynamics of global governance.Particular attention is paid to how indicators can affect processes of standard setting, decisionmaking, and contestation in global governance. The World Bank Doing Business indicators and the United Nations Human Development Index are analyzed as case studies.
ISSN:0023-9216
1540-5893
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-5893.2012.00473.x