Indices and indicators in development : an unhealthy obsession with numbers The use of numbers to condense complex systems into easily digested bites of information is very much in fashion. At one level they are intended to enhance transparency accountability and local democracy while at another they provide a means of enhancing performance. However all indicators suffer from the same basic problem that ironically is also their biggest advantage condensing something highly complex into a few simple numbers. Love them or hate them there is no denying that people use indicators to make decisions. Indices and Indicators explores the use of indicators within the field