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Contextual Indicators

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

  • 46 Accesses

Synonyms

Indices; Signals; Signs of context

Definition

Contextual indicators often (although not always) take the form of quantifiable variables which are used to help describe and measure wider social, environmental, economic, physical, and demographic contexts in which a particular phenomenon is operating. Contextual indicators tend to be defined and applied in such a way as to be measurable over space and/or time, allowing comparison and/or benchmarking to be undertaken against a contextual baseline. According to Wong (2003), p. 257, “…the development of [contextual] indicators involves a methodological process of moving from abstract concepts to more specific and concrete measures to yield policy intelligence.” In this vein, contextual indicators have increasingly taken the form of policy-relevant variables that are defined and applied in such a way as to inform the communication, negotiation, and decision-making practices of agents and actors working within particular policy...

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References

  • Bunge, M. (1975). What is a quality of life indicator? Social Indicators Research, 2, 65–79.

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  • Frønes, I. (2007). Theorizing indicators: On indicators, signs and trends. Social Indicators Research, 83(5), 5–23.

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  • Noll, H. (2002). Towards a European system of social indicators: Theoretical framework and system architecture. Social Indicators Research, 58, 47–87.

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  • Somarriba, N., & Pena, B. (2009). Synthetic indicators of quality if life in Europe. Social Indicators Research, 94, 115–133.

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  • Wong, C. (2003). Indicators at the crossroads: Ideas, methods and applications. Town Planning Review, 74(3), 253–279.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Urban Policy Studies, School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Stephen Hincks

Authors
  1. Stephen Hincks
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Correspondence to Stephen Hincks .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Statistiche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Roma, Italy

    Filomena Maggino

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Mara Tognetti

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Hincks, S. (2023). Contextual Indicators. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17299-1_557

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