The limits of indicators in public policy evaluation : the case of e-waste

International audienceIn this paper we present the results of a project aiming to comparatively evaluate the performance of e-waste policies in four European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, France, and Switzerland. Such a comparative analysis could help identify best policy practices used by governments when trying to solve the e-waste problem. The topic of e-waste is getting more and more attention from researchers and politicians given the range of problems at stake. However, it is a yet under-investigated field of research in social sciences, especially in public policy analysis. EU countries offer interesting case studies because the Union is an early mover when it comes to addressing the e-waste problem, notably thanks to the WEEE directive (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment). Since the e-waste problem is global, many other countries seek inspiration from European e-waste policies when trying to solve the e-waste problem. In order to understand how they can be improved and the extent to which they can serve as an example for other countries, these policies need to be evaluated. And to understand which instruments work best in a given context, a comparative analysis needs to be carried out. To rate the performance of their e-waste policies and report the state of the e-waste problem to the European Commission, member states have used a wide range of indicators. We introduce in this paper a methodology allowing us to construct the e-waste profile of a country capable of reporting all these indicators in a comparable way. We then comment the results and underline the limits of the approach. Finally, we suggest an alternative to the use of indicators to identify the factors conducive to best policy practices capable of solving the e-waste problem