Sustainability indicator system and policy processes in Malaysia: a framework for utilisation and learning.
Formulation of effective sustainability indicators for national assessment demands a comprehensive understanding of the utilisation, diffusion and dissemination of information in policy processes. To illustrate the dynamic of sustainability assessment within the context of policy processes, this paper uses a case study of national sustainability indicators development in Malaysia. Subsequently, this paper ascribes the limited achievement of national sustainability assessment in Malaysia to four types of constraints: meta-policy issues; technical capacities; communication concerns; and the inherent knowledge gaps within the indicator developer community vis-a-vis their theoretical limitations. It is proposed that such constraints will be encountered in many countries. Drawing from the literature on public policy, this paper outlines a framework for investigating indicator behaviour within policy processes based on well-established concepts such as knowledge utilisation and policy learning. I conclude this paper by elaborating on the corresponding future challenges that must be addressed before effective integration of sustainability indicators within policy systems can occur.
Hezri
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Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES), Institute of Advanced Studies, The Australian National University, West Hancock Building No. 43, Biology Place, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. hezri@cres.anu.edu.au
D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004777:Environment; D007255:Information Services; D008296:Malaysia; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011050:Policy Making