GSDRC newsfeed on Governance indicators

The Politics of Governance Ratings

Christiane Arndt — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What explains the popularity and misuse of the prominent governance indicators produced by the World Bank and others? This article in the International Public Management Journal argues that producing and using a range of more targeted, transparent indicators will benefit all stakeholders. Among hundreds of existing governance indicators, the most popular are perception-based composite indicators, primarily of use to international organisations, donors, investors and the media. These indicators summarise vast amounts of data that exists for a large number of countries, but the drawbacks of relying heavily on them are significant.

Measuring and Monitoring Governance By Listening to the People and Not the Interest Groups

Maksym Ivanyna, Anwar Shah — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can governance measurement be improved? Governance indicators influence development work and foreign direct investment, but this World Bank paper argues that current indicators are inadequate because they fail to conceptualise governance or to capture citizen opinion. It offers instead a citizen-centric framework for measuring governance quality based on four dimensions: responsiveness, fairness, responsibility and accountability. Governance is "an exercise of authority and control to preserve and protect public interest and enhance the quality of life enjoyed by citizens".

Survey of Donor Approaches to Governance Assessment

OECD — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Many development agencies are engaged in assessing governance. What are their approaches and how can these be more effectively harmonised? This study from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development surveys donors' use of general and thematic governance assessments. Most approaches are driven by policy dialogue, detailed planning of governance enhancement activities and strategic decisions regarding aid to specific countries. Linkage to a donor's programme, demand from the field and removal of institutional disincentives are important in determining how governance assessments are used.

The Practitioners' Guide to the Household Economy Approach

Tanya Boudreau — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Household Economy Approach (HEA) is a livelihoods-based framework for analysing how people obtain access to the things they need to survive and prosper. This Practitioners' Guide from the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP), FEG Consulting and Save the Children provides tools for those involved in fieldwork and analysis of HEA assessments. Central issues in HEA analysis include: how people in different social and economic circumstances get the food and cash they need; their assets, opportunities and constraints; and the options open to them at times of crisis.

Outcome-Based Conditionality: Too Good To Be True?

Nuria Molina — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Does linking aid disbursement to a results agenda (outcome-based conditionality) actually build recipient ownership and development effectiveness? This report for the European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD) analyses the different interpretations of outcome-based aid delivery adopted by the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission (EC). It examines EC experience in piloting the approach in Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Tanzania. Outcome-based conditionality is a strategic step towards giving recipients ownership of their own development. However, experience is limited and it is hard to tell if there has been real impact on poverty reduction.

Making Statistics Work for Development

DFID — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can statistics be used to improve development policies and their outcomes? This booklet outlines how the Department for International Development (DFID) is working to promote the availability and use of evidence at country, regional and international levels. It sets out DFID's statistics strategy and how statisticians contribute to better development policies, more effective use of resources, more accountable partner governments, and more responsive donors. DFID calls for increased resources for statistical capacity building, especially for the 2010 Census Round which many countries are unable to fund.

Public Governance Indicators: a Literature Review

M G Mimicopoulos and L Kyj — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can governance best be measured? This paper from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) gives an overview of governance indicators and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. It argues that new transforming factors such as the Information Age, globalisation and decentralisation should be taken into account in governance assessments. Citizens' requirements should be more accurately ascertained and indicators should be more objective and geographically disaggregated in order to implement good governance mechanisms.

Measuring Governance: What Guidance for Aid Policy?

J Court, V Fritz and E Gyimah-Boadi — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can aid policy be rigorously and systematically linked to governance situations in developing countries? This paper from the Overseas Development Institute examines current techniques for measuring governance applied to the issue of scaling up Irish Aid. There are a growing number of sources of governance indicators which should be used to inform aid decisions. However, these must be judged with awareness of their limitations and alongside other factors including political context assessments.

Good Enough Governance Revisited - 2007

M S Grindle — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Given limited resources of money, time, knowledge and capacity, what are the best ways to move towards better governance in a particular country? This article from the Development Policy Review argues that the concept of good enough governance falls short as a tool to guide decisions in real world contexts. Rather the feasibility of particular interventions can be assessed by analysing the context for change and the implications of the content of the intervention being considered.

Governance Matters VI: Governance Indicators for 1996-2006

World Bank — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This paper from the World Bank presents the latest update of the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) research project. It covers 212 countries and territories and measures six dimensions of governance between 1996 and 2006: Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption. In less than a decade, a substantial number of countries have exhibited statistically significant improvements in at least one dimension of governance, while other countries have exhibited deterioration in some dimensions.

The Worldwide Governance Indicators Project: Answering the Critics

D Kaufmann et al — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Are criticisms of the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) tenable? This paper from the World Bank summarises and responds to recent critiques of the WGI. It argues that such criticisms are misguided as they misinterpret the indicators, lack empirical support or apply a conceptual framework which is ill-suited to the practical aim of the WGI.

The Aid 'Darlings' and 'Orphans' of the Great Lakes Region in Africa

S Marysse et al — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

How does selective allocation of Official Developmental Assistance (ODA) affect developing countries? This discussion paper from the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB) at the University of Antwerp looks at the consequences of aid flows in the Great Lakes Region in Africa. The 'aid darling' status of Rwanda and 'aid orphan' status of Zaire/DR Congo and Burundi demonstrate how aid is selectively allocated to countries exhibiting a specific form of good governance. This differential treatment has a detrimental effect on economic development and creates spill-over effects of exclusion in the region.

Media Matters: Perspectives on Advancing Governance and Development from the Global Forum for Media Development

M Harvey — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Why is the media important in development? This report from the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) is the result of a year-long collaboration between media development practitioners and social, political and communications scientists. It asks why media matters, how its impact can be measured, and considers the key challenges across the sector. It argues that independent media are integral to good governance and can also prevent exclusion. Donors must therefore engage with the media sector.

Local Capacity, Village Governance, and the Political Economy of Rural Development in Indonesia

A Bebbington and L Dharmawan — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The idea that local people are best placed to address local problems is widely accepted, but how can the nature and effectiveness of local capacity be examined? This paper from the journal World Development develops a framework for conceptualising local capacity to address livelihood and governance problems and applies this to recent research from rural Indonesia. It suggests that linking social capital and political economy can better highlight the relationships between social and political agency and political-economic structure at the local level.

Measuring Democratic Governance: A Framework for Selecting Pro-poor and Gender Sensitive Indicators

United Nations Development Programme — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

How should we measure democratic governance? Most indicators are developed by external stakeholders to compare nation states and are not designed to help countries undertake governance reforms. This UNDP guide presents a framework for generating pro-poor gender sensitive indicators to help policy makers monitor and evaluate democratic governance at the country level. It argues that indicator selection is itself a governance process.

A Guide to Measuring the Impact of Right to Information Programmes

A Puddephatt and E McCall — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

How can democratic governance programming promote and protect the right to information? What are the appropriate indicators to assess right to information interventions? This Guide by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of programmes, with an emphasis on gender and pro-poor indicators. It outlines four broad areas of right to information that must be considered for a thorough evaluation; the legal regime, government legislation, and the use of information by both the general public and by marginalised groups.

Gender-sensitive and Pro-poor Indicators of Good Governance

L Corner — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Why do governance indicators need to be gender-sensitive in order to be pro-poor? To what extent are existing indicators of governance gender-sensitive and pro-poor? This paper for the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre and the Indian Council for Social Science Research argues that existing governance indicators are neither pro-poor nor gender sensitive.

Implementing DFID's Conditionality

Department for International Development — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

A number of international agencies are reviewing their approach to conditionality to find the right balance between country-led development and accountability to their stakeholders. This draft how-to note from the Department for International Development (DFID) sets out the practical implications of the UK policy on conditionality (launched in 2005) for DFID staff. The policy is clear that whilst DFID should use conditions to ensure aid is used effectively, and for the purposes intended, DFID should take care to ensure that this does not have negative effects on country ownership and predictability.

Governance Matters IV: Governance Indicators for 1996�2004

D Kaufmann, A Kraay and M Mastruzzi — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

There is broad consensus that good governance matters for economic development and for the effectiveness of development assistance. It is therefore important to be able to measure levels and changes over time in governance across countries. This paper from the World Bank presents the latest update of the institution's governance indicators, available for 209 countries and territories for 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004. It stresses that measuring governance remains difficult, and that aggregate indicators need to be complemented with in-depth in-country governance diagnostics

Governance Indicators: A Users Guide

M Sudders and J Nahem — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Demand for ways to measure different aspects of democracy, human rights and governance is increasing. This has led to a rapid growth in the number of indicators to assess government performance, the quality of institutions and people�s perceptions. This guide, put together by the United Nations Development Programme and the European Commission, offers advice on where to find and how to use governance indicators.