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Résumé: La méthode de l’économie des conventions repose sur un questionnement objectif de la pragmatique de l’action qui se déroule en situation. Elle cherche ainsi à restituer les configurations de sens qui guident les acteurs grâce, aussi bien, aux justifications et controverses qu’aux traces incorporées dans les objets sociaux. À l’histoire croisée, elle peut donc apporter dans la comparaison une attention plus aiguë aux singularités des situations, spécialement dans le cas de l’Europe, aux singularités nationales. L’article tente de le démontrer sur les configurations de sens attribuées à la relation de travail en Allemagne, en France et en Grande-Bretagne dans l’entre-deux-guerres. En croisant différents domaines et sources, il suggère que ces configurations se nouent, respectivement, autour de la liberté du contrat, de la liberté d’association et de la dépendance du serviteur envers son maître. Pour arriver à ce résultat, il examine comment les conceptualisations de la relation de travail mettent en rapport, de manière propre à chaque pays, travail et produit du travail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

»Die Économie des conventions und die Statistik: Das Paradox der Ursprünge«. The line of heterodox economic thinking named "the economics of conventions" emerged in the 1980s in France. Four among its six founding fathers had a strong background in statistics and were working at INSEE (the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Research). However, the numerous and fruitful researches in the line of this new paradigm have only slightly used the quantitative methods (above all econometrics) that are widely spread in mainstream economics as well as in other heterodox movements, e.g. the French school of regulation. In order to provide a rationale for this paradox, we are lead to set the development of the economics of conventions within a broader history of economics and social sciences. Indeed, from the 1980s onwards, social sciences have gone through a movement of bifurcation that brought about a deep change in the scientific and political status of quantification. Monitoring this movement leads to address the issue of the relationships between the search for theoretical reflexivity and the social demand for expertise addressed to economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

French water services have been characterized by a high level of fragmentation of local authorities and have often been delegated to private operators. During the 90s price increases and corruption brought water utilities under the spotlight. Performance indicators (PI) then appeared to be an interesting tool for restoring trust and drawing attention to complementary operation aspects. As the creation of a national regulation authority was being debated, many stakeholder working groups developed their own PI selections. Despite the technical nature of the PI and its seeming objectivity, they reflect particular interests and do not actually guarantee any neutrality. The diversity of initiatives underlines the two main uses of external reporting: control or information. Even after the French regulation reform was abandoned (2002), the PI definition converged with a new law (2007). Our analysis allows us to understand how measurement difficulties and the expected uses of indicators influence their own definition. As a result, sustainable development can be seen as an ex post legitimization of the process rather than a real building framework, even though stakeholder participation and non-financial dimensions are taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]