Towards a social reporting system in Switzerland

Issue title: 1995 Siena Group Seminar

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gilomen, Heinz

Affiliations: Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Holzikofenweg 8, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Abstract: The Swiss Federal Statistical Office is currently preparing the initial steps towards a coherent social reporting system in which indicators of living conditions – social indicators – play a key role. The general point of departure is the concept of effectiveness analysis with the familiar chain of objectives – input and actions – output and results – effects and secondary effects. Social indicators created at individual level are then designed as effect indicators, which provide pointers for assessing social policy in the widest sense. Thus, living conditions are understood as the effect of political action or non-action. For socio-political reasons the group-specific approach is privileged. Various problems which are topics of public discussion in Switzerland are of a group-specific nature – for instance problem concerning gender equality, unemployment among young people, foreigners, the ageing population structure, differences between town and country. From the point of view of social cohesion, the concept of multiple disadvantage is of central importance in the analysis. The development of transversal indicators which synthesize and reflect how living conditions interact thus represents a priority methodological challenge.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1995-123-410

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 12, no. 3-4, pp. 319-327, 1995