ABSTRACT
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is monitored via an official framework of 232 indicators. The process of producing indicators is political: the 232 indicators result from diplomatic negotiations at the United Nations General Assembly. Indicators are among the main public policy instruments used by international organizations to rank countries, evaluate public policies, allocate budgets and direct aid and subsidies. They are useful tools as they summarize, objectify and confer transparency to information. However, they are also political instruments and social constructs, and therefore have limitations. They rely on United Nations member states’ capacity to produce statistics, which is unequal; they risk encouraging States to focus on individual indicators, at the risk of losing sight of sustainable development objectives at large; and their profusion allows for ‘cherry-picking’ among the most convenient indicators. This calls for caution when using and interpreting Sustainable Development Goals indicators, and all indicators more broadly, for guiding public policy.
