The article examines some of the problems connected with the introduction and use of the new indicators of wellbeing in public policies. It analyses some critical features both in methodology (concerning selection of variables and weighting) and in decision-making processes. It also makes four proposals that aim to put these indicators on the public agenda, with an eye to involving civil society and the academic and institutional worlds in a dialogue.only subscribers can see the full article

The computerized social profile is an extremely valuable professional tool for evaluating ongoing social policies and planning future ones. It is a means of sharing social knowledge that gives life to a community of practices in which we can identify good forms of intervention, which is a starting-point for re-launching territorial planning of services. In this way the computerized social file expresses and interprets to the full the principle of participation and bottom-up public welfare policies. This essay discusses both its strong and critical points. only subscribers can see the full article