Our overall aim is to help find better ways of using indicators in all aspects of policy, but with a thematic focus on the role of indicators in fostering and supporting change in areas of policy making towards ‘Sustainable Development’. The research area of indicators in the presumed service of sustainability will provide a rich ground for addressing the actual use, influence and impacts of indicators, reflecting dynamic interactions between forces for policy continuation and versus policy change. . The objectives of the project are to:  Design a coherent framework of analysis and generate hypotheses on the use and influence of indicators, by pulling together the disparate strands of research and practical experience of indicator use and influence, focusing broadly on European policies, but with a special emphasis on fostering change towards sustainability  Test the analytical framework and the hypotheses on specific cases of sector integration and sustainability indicators, as well as composite indicators (indices) in order to • identify the ways in which indicators influence policy, including the unintended types of influence and situations of ‘non-use’; and • Identify factors that condition the way in which indicators influence policies, including the process and the outcome of designing and producing indicators, the type of indicators, expectations of stakeholders involved, the role of the organisations preparing and disseminating the indicators, as well as general socio-cultural and political background factors. • Recommend ways to enhance the role of indicators in supporting policies