Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

National and international approaches in social reporting

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

National and international approaches in social reporting in western Europe are described. The paper starts with the outline of current activities in international organizations. The competing national approaches are discussed. Further topics are the sources and products of social reporting; the plurality of actors in social reporting, and different ways of its institutionalization. The only incomplete diffusion of social reporting in Western Europe is described and some hypotheses are offered for an explanation. The conclusion points that there will be a new surge of social reporting in Europe in the 1990s. As a basis for its argumentation the paper presents rich tables on social surveys and a bibliography on social reporting by actor.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

UN:

United Nations, New York

DESA:

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UN, New York

DIESA:

Department of International Economic and Social Affairs, UN, New York

ILO:

International Labour Organisation, Geneva

UNESCO:

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris

WHO:

World Health Organization, Geneva

HFA:

Health for All

FAO:

Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome

IBRD:

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, New York (World Bank)

LSMS:

Living Standards Measurement Study

UNRISD:

United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva

CMEA:

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, Moscow

OECD:

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris

EC:

European Communities, Brussels

EUROSTAT:

Statistical Office of the European Communities, Luxembourg

NC:

Nordic Council, Copenhagen

ÖSTAT:

Österreichisches Statistisches Zentralamt, Vienna

INS:

Institut National de la Statistique, Brussels

C.B.G.S.:

Centrum voor Bevolkings- en Gezinsstudien, Brussels

BFS:

Bundesamt für Statistik, Bern

STBA:

Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden

BMfA:

Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung, Bonn

DIW:

Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Berlin

ZUMA:

Zentrum für Umfragen, Methoden und Analysen, Mannheim

INE:

Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Madrid

Fundacion:

Fundacion Fomento de Estudios Sociales y Sociologia Aplicada, Madrid

FOESSA:

(Foundation for the Promotion of Social Studies and Applied Sociology)

CIS:

Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas, Madrid

INSEE:

Institut National de Statistique et des Etudes Economiques, Paris

CRÉDOC:

Centre de Recherche pour L'Etude et L'Observation des Conditions de Vie, Paris

OSC:

Observatoire Sociologique du Changement Social, Paris

FNSP:

Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, Paris

CSO:

Central Statistical Office, London

OPCS:

Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, London

DoE:

Department of Employment, London

SCPR:

Social and Community Planning Research, London

NSSG:

National Statistical Service of Greece, Athens

EKKE:

National Centre of Social Research, Athens

ISTAT:

Istituto Nazionale (former: Centrale) di Statistica, Rome

AIS:

Associazione Italiana di Sociologia, Rome

CENSIS:

Fondazione “Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali”, Rome

CSO:

Central Statistical Office, Dublin

ESRI:

Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin

NESC:

National Economic and Social Council, Dublin

STATEC:

Service Central de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques, Luxembourg

SSB:

Statistiska Sentralbyrå, Oslo

NOS:

Norges Offisielle Statistikk, Oslo

INAS:

Institutt for Anvendt Sosialvitenskapelig Forskning (Institute for Applied Social Research), Oslo

ISF:

Institutt for Samfunnsforskning (Institute for Social Research), Oslo

CBS:

Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Voorburg and Heerlen

NOS:

Netherlands Official Statistics, ed. by CBS

QLS:

Quality of Life Survey (by CBS)

TUS:

Time Use Survey (by CBS)

ISEO:

Instituut voor Sociologisch-Economisch Oderzoek, Rotterdam

SCP:

Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau, Rijswijk

INE:

Instituto Nacional de Estatistica, Lisboa

SCB:

Statistiska Centralbyrån, Stockholm

SOS:

Sveriges Officiella Statistik (Official Statistics of Sweden), Stockholm/Örebrö

SOFI:

Institutet för Social Forskning, Stockholm

CSO:

Central Statistical Office of Finland, Helsinki

H.:

Heft (= sheet)

Nr., No.:

Number

Vol.:

Volume

Bd.:

Band (= volume)

Other Literature

  • Bartholomäi, R. Chr.: 1975, ‘Das Social Indicator Movement in den USA — eine kritische Würdigung’ (The social indicator movement in the USA — a critical review), in G. Kirsch and W. Wittmann, (eds) Nationale Ziele und soziale Indikatoren (Fischer, Stuttgart), pp. 33–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bechtold, S. and M. Ehling: 1990, ‘Erhebungen für besondere Zwecke — ein neues Instrument der amtlichen Statistik’ (Surveys for special purposes — a new instrument of official statistics), Wirtschaft und Statistik10, pp. 687–692.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biderman, A. D.: 1966, ‘Social indicators and goals’, in R. A. Bauer, (ed) Social Indicators (MIT Press, Cambridge), pp. 68–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehling, M. and D. Schäfer: 1988, ‘Internationale Erfahrungen mit Zeitbudgeterhebungen im Rahmen der amtlichen Statistik’ (International experience with time budget surveys in official statistics), Wirtschaft und Statistik7, pp. 451–461.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehling, M., R. von Schweitzeret al.: 1991, ‘Zeitbudgeterhebung der amtlichen Statistik. Beiträge zur Arbeitstagung vom 30. April 1991 in Wiesbaden’ (Time Budget Survey of official statistics. Contributions to the workshop of April 30 in Wiesbaden). Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden (= Schriftenreihe Ausgewählte Arbeitsunterlagen zur Bundesstatistik, Heft 17).

    Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, R. and H. Uusitalo: 1987, ‘The Scandinavian approach to welfare research’, in R. Erikson, E. J. Hansen, S. Ringen and H. Uusitalo, The Scandinavian Model: Welfare States and, Welfare Research (M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, New York and London), pp. 177–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fattaccini, P.: 1986/87, ‘Le mouvement des indicateurs sociaux aux Etats-Unis’, The Tocqueville Review8, pp. 235–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • INSEE: 1977/1987, ‘Pour une Historie de la Statistique’, 2 Tomes. INSEE, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgenroth, W.: 1923, ‘Indexziffern’ (Index numbers), in Handwörterbuch der Staatswisseuschaften (Concise dictionary of the political sciences), 4th ed., vol. 5 (Jena), pp. 392–408.

  • Moum, T.: 1990, ‘Needs, Rights and Indicators in Quality of Life Research’, Institute for Social Research, Oslo (Arbeidsnotat 90:5).

    Google Scholar 

  • Næss, S.: 1987, ‘Quality of Life Research. Concepts, Methods, and Applications’. Institute of Applied Social Research, Oslo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich, U.-P., C. Stahmeret al.: 1988, ‘Satellitensysteme zu den Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen’ (Satellite Systems to the National Accounts). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart and Mainz (= Forum der Bundesstatistik, Bd. 6).

    Google Scholar 

  • Stache, D.: 1980, ‘System der Sozialindikatoren des Statistischen Amts der Europäischen Gemeinschaften’ (System of social indicators of the Statistical Office of the European Communities), in H.-J. Hoffmann-Nowotny (ed), Soziale Indikatoren im internationalen Vergleich (Campus, Frankfurt/New York), pp. 9–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tåhlin, M.: 1990, ‘Politics, dynamics and individualism — the Swedish approach to level of living research’, Social Indicators Research22, pp. 155–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woolf, S.: 1989, ‘Statistics and the modern state’, Comparative Studies in Society and History31, pp. 588–604.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zapf, W.: 1973, ‘Soziale Indikatoren’ (Social indicators), in G. Albrecht, H. Daheim and F. Sack (eds) Soziologie. Sprache, Bezug zur Praxis, Verhältnis zu anderen Wissenschaften. René König zum 65. Geburtstag (Sociology. Language, relation to practical work, relation to other sciences. René König 65th birthday) (Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen), pp. 261–290.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for European Social Research (MZES), European Data Archive, University of Mannheim, P.O. Box 10 34 62, D-6800, Mannheim 1, Germany

    Franz Rothenbacher

Authors
  1. Franz Rothenbacher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rothenbacher, F. National and international approaches in social reporting. Soc Indic Res 29, 1–62 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01136196

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01136196

Keywords

Search

Navigation