With regard to merging different knowledge areas, all processes
have tried to follow the idea of balancing economic, ecological and
social dimensions, but all processes were relatively weak regarding
the participation of experts representing the social dimension. Thus, in science-led processes,
participants may decide on indicators outside their specific
domain as informed citizens, i.e. in a political role, expressing
societal norms, rather than in their scientific capacity. This
indicates the central importance of representation and participation
in the indicator development process, which needs to be
properly designed at the outset