We discuss here composite indicators as mathematical models, which can be looked at through the lenses of the five rules discussed in this volume. Composite indicators sit between analysis and advocacy, and their use has social and political implications. For this reason, the lenses of the manifesto can be used to build them better, to make them more transparent, as well as to inspect incumbent indicators for methodological or...

Publicly funded universities, like commercial organizations are obliged to ensure their efficiency. This article presents a model to measure and assess the relative efficiency of technical universities. The analysis was performed using publically available data from 2011 for 18 universities using the Composite Indicators method and the SBM Data Envelopment Analysis model. Fourteen indicators for efficiency were defined in the five...

Research background: Composite indicators are commonly used as an approximation tool to measure economic development, the standard of living, competitiveness, fairness, effectiveness, and many others being willingly implemented into many different research disciplines. However, it seems that in most cases, the variable weighting procedure is avoided or erroneous since, in most cases, the so-called...

The reasons for and against composite indicators are briefly reviewed, as well as the available theories for their construction. After noting the strong normative dimension of these measures—which ultimately aim to ‘tell a story’, e.g. to promote the social discovery of a particular phenomenon, we inquire whether a less partisan use of a composite indicator can be proposed by allowing more latitude in the framing of its construction....

Sustainable development is one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity. Its basic principle is to improve people’s well-being and maintain it over time. In 2015, the United Nations approved 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to ensure a better and sustainable future for all, balancing economic, social and environmental development. SDGs create an ‘indivisible whole’; thus, examining their interactions is crucial. Our...