Designing indicators for opening up evaluation: insights from research assessment

The use of indicators is generally associated with a reduction of perspectival diversity in evaluation that often facilitates making decisions along dominant framings – effectively closing down debate. In this chapter we will argue that while this is indeed often the case, indicators can also be used to help support more plural evaluation and foster more productively critical debate. In order to achieve this shift, it is necessary equally to change understandings, forms and uses of indicators in decision making. These shifts involve, first, broadening out the range of ‘inputs’ taken into account; and second, opening up the ‘outputs’, in the sense of developing methodologies for indicator-based analyses to help in considering plural perspectives. In practice, this means a move towards more situated and participatory use of quantitative evidence in evaluation, a shift from universal indicators to contextualized indicating.