Samhällskontraktet X Dark Matter Labs: The Cornerstone Indicators
This 3-part blog series has been developed by Dark Matter Labs and Samhällskontraktet. We have written them to share our collaborative work exploring new approaches to citizen engagement and community led indicators. In respect of your time and cognitive headspace we have divided our reflections into three discrete sections:
- The taster: this short 3 minute read, gives a brief sense of the work. It has been written to allow you to quickly decide if you are interested to know more.
- Going deeper: in Blog 2 we explore why we think we need to reimagine how indicators are used. We also give more details about the process that we have designed.
- Learning into the future: Blog 3 looks at the key lessons that we have learnt and outlines our invitation to others to build on this initial work.
*Throughout these blogs we are using the word citizen to represent the people who live in a country, rather than as a statement of nationality or legal status.
Blog 1 (of 3) The taster: reimagining indicators as radical tools for citizen empowerment
How are you feeling about the world and your place within it? If you looked at the news when you woke up this morning you might have felt a strange yet familiar mixture of emotions. Frustration, hope, resignation, anger, empathy, anxiety, injustice, bewilderment? This feeling of disconnection between the issues that we are facing and what we (as individuals, organisations, communities and nations) can do about them was the underlying driver for this initiative. Our conviction is that meaningful change will only be achieved collectively via widespread citizen engagement. The escalating global situation is too complex and too important to be entrusted to niche system change experts, politicians or economists. The Cornerstone movement is therefore about reconnecting people to public life, to build shared agency and inspire positive civic action. It is a journey towards continuous, reciprocal national conversations that recognise both our shared fates and our collaborative potential. Of course, every journey begins with a first step; for us this involves communities being in dialogue about what it means to thrive and then collaboratively designing indicators to track progress.
What is unique about the Cornerstone Indicators?
There is certainly no shortage of frameworks and impact measures. In fact it sometimes feels like we are drowning in them! The Cornerstone Indicators were originally co-developed with Dr Katherine Trebeck and have three key qualities that make them different:
- Streamlined: each indicator combines multiple data points into a single easily understandable format. For example, the number of people who would recommend their community as a place for others to move to, would represent underlying measurements such as crime rates, employment opportunities and schools.
- Co-designed: the indicators are designed by the communities who will use them. This ensures that the things that matter to people, in their unique contexts, are the things that define success.
- Intuitive: each indicator is visually appealing and intuitively understandable. When you see the image you can quickly form an impression of the underlying meaning without having to read the detail.
How are they developed?
The process combines statistical rigour with deep participatory engagement. This dual approach ensures that both the universal and contextual elements of wellbeing are carefully considered. In the first prototype initiative conducted in the Swedish city of Västerås, the citizens co-designed 5 Cornerstone Indicators which are illustrated below. We have also created a short PDF (linked here) which presents the indicators more fully. In Blog 2 of this series we will expand on the intention and details that underpin them.
We hope that this short introduction has piqued your interest and that you will continue to read the next blog in this series (Blog 2). If you have any immediate reflections or questions then please do get in touch.
This blog was co-authored by Emily Harris (emily@darkmatterlabs.org) and Linnea Rönnquist (linnea.ronnquist@mdu.se)
