Context Social indicators are used for a variety of purposes at national and international level, but in the context of the OMC they have to serve very specific functions – namely, to facilitate comparison of actual performances achieved by EU countries through their national (and sub-national) social policies, and hence improve mutual learning and exchange of good practice across Member States. more Criteria for indicators The criteria for the selection of commonly agreed indicators build on the methodological principles agreed in 2001 for the Laeken portfolio [1] . Single indicators are formulated and defined in accordance with a number of methodological principles. more Criteria for portfolios The ‘portfolios of indicators have been designed in accordance with the following methodological principles: more This chapter is based largely on Marlier, E., Cantillon, B., Nolan, B., Van den Bosch, K. and Van Rie, T. (2009) ‘Developing and learning from measures of social inclusion in the European Union’ Revised version (dated 29 October 2009) of the paper prepared for the Joint OECD/University of Maryland International Conference on Measuring Poverty, Income Inequality, and Social Exclusion - Lessons from Europe (Paris, 16-17 March 2009).