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A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO MONITORING
URL: http://www.spatialgovernance.com/governance/monitoring/613-05A.htm
© John S. Cook - Created on 7 June 2005
Last modified
05/04/11 11:01
Australian EST
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INTRODUCTION |
| some systems involve
considerable complexity - workings are difficult to understand
diffucult to understand |
The separation of powers that exists in many modern governments provides
a basis for analysing decision making processes. It also helps to identify
particular opportunities where bias might arise.
This identifies:
 | the legislature in making laws - involving the politics of
community consultation, the actions of various pressure groups and lobbies, the
deliberations of the legislature in formulating laws and the politics of law reform in
changing the laws |
| the executive in administering laws - involving executive decision
making in respect of administering various laws as well as the problems of rivalry and
difficulties in communication between various government agencies |
| the judiciary in adjudicating on the laws - legal decision making
in interpreting laws and resolving disputes based on the evidence of experts acting as
'hired guns' for various protagonists |
In addition to decision making by government, commercial decision making
takes place within the legal environment established by the government and decisions . as
well as some understanding of the vested interests of various protagonists.
The problem of satisfying economic conditions is exacerbated and
injustice is inevitable if there are serious doubts about supposed environmental
consequences. Ecosystems are complex, and understanding is limited. Increasingly, people
need to depend on 'action learning'; on doing things, monitoring the outcomes carefully
and seeing how things work as a matter of practice. |
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References:
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LOGICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A
VIABLE SYSTEM |
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PURPOSE OF A SYSTEM |
Understanding of Purpose
People may have different ideas about the purpose of a system. As an
example, an employer may see the purpose of a firm as making profits. In
contrast, an employee may see the purpose of a the same firm as
delivering respectable wages and salaries and a level of job
satisfaction. However, paying increased wages might reduce profits.
Under these circumstances, an employer and an employee might find
themselves at cross-purposes. In effect, the parties involved see their
circumstances as trading to mutual disadvantage. In other words, the
perceptions are that there are winners and losers.
Where people see themselves as trading to mutual
advantage,
In contrast, a different set of attitudes may prevail
where increased wages may motivate workers to increase productivity and
more than offset any loss in profits. Accordingly, people may ascribe
different and either compatible or incompatible purposes to an
organisation, depending on attitudes.
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Statements of Purpose
Many organisations attempt to
Missions statements are often trite |
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References:
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CRITERIA FOR JUDGING SUCCESS |
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS OF
SUCCESS |
| Environmental indicators provide a
means of quantifying various aspects of overall environmental quality, trends in
environmental quality over time, and the relative success of environmental regulatory
programs in maintaining and improving the quality of the environment. Indicators measure
representative problems and the political and natural responses to those problems. When
presented in a visual format, they can show, clearly, the discrepancy between the actual
and desired conditions. |
Gathering statistics is expensive without careful
organisation of information-gathering and processing activities. In many cases the cost of
improving the data, in both human and financial terms, would be high in relation to the
value of the information obtained. This is particularly true of relatively localized
problems, many of which may prove irrelevant to broader-scale indicators. |
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UNITED
NATIONS RESPONSES TO ISSUES AFFECTING THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT - AN HISTORICAL
INTERPRETATION |
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SUGGESTED FURTHER READING |
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