The Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool (MPAT) was developed by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development with a view to assess local-level poverty in rural regions around the globe. The MPAT is a survey-based thematic indicator of ten dimensions, from Food & Nutrition Security...

In this paper we apply State Dependent Parameter (SDP) modelling (a model estimation approach, based on recursive filtering and smoothing estimation) to estimate the variance based main effect sensitivity indices of computational models (a popular method for quantitative sensitivity analysis)....

The terms of reference of the contract define two contributions: (i) a theoretical analysis addressing the epistemological challenges posed by quantitative indicators for sustainable growth (Part 1); and (ii) an applied analysis of the ongoing work on a composite indicator for monitoring...

University rankings are very appealing, in that they provide one with a single number that allows one, at a glance, to situate a given university in the worldwide context. However, this very simplicity of use can be highly misleading in that most rankings are based on an extremely simple formula...

The proliferation of the visible and invisible numbers populating society, is attracting a growing interest for the sociology of quantification. This is also a natural consequence of digital agendas actively promoted by states and international organizations. Numbers are seductive, performative...

Sensitivity analysis (SA) studies how much the uncertainty of a model output depends upon its inputs. Though it is generally agreed in existing guidelines that uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are both crucial for the validation or verification of a model, their application is hampered by...

The topic of uncertainty, risk and ignorance, and one may add probability, is controversial both across and within professions. While Frank Knight and Maynard Keynes both believed that risk and uncertainty are quite different objects, generations of Bayesian statisticians and economists have...

Ten years ago, when the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan was launched, the energy transition was in the making but still looked distant. While the challenge of successfully transforming our energy system still lies ahead of us, few would deny that the chances of success seem today much...