Global social indicators and their legitimacy in transnational law

Abstract

Skeptical views tend to dominate the debate about the role of global social indicators in transnational law. However, the reason global social indicators have emerged is often that local and national legislation would not be sufficient and that agreement on international legal norms is not feasible. Indeed, it can be observed that global social indicators have proliferated in recent years as they reach across many societal fields. Moreover, this chapter shows that at all levels of legitimacy (“input,” “output,” and “throughput”), it is at least possible to make indicators more legitimate. This also acknowledges that some indicators fall short of these standards of legitimacy. Problems of the legitimacy of global social indicators will therefore remain relevant in the foreseeable future.