Governance Assessments in the Arab Region
UNDP RBAS, Regional Center in Cairo
Governance Assessments
and Social Accountability
United Nations Development Programme
Regional Bureau for Arab States ● Regional Centre in Cairo
Why measure governance?
If you can’t measure it, you can not improve it!
• Counting is an essential function of modern states - a state
that is not able to measure its core functions performance can
be seen as having lost the ability to fulfill them
• Counting is essential for democratic governance:
– figures can be challenged by opposition parties and civil society;
– figures can –and frequently do—become a focal point for processes
of public opinion sensitization.
• Counts produce political debates and influence the complex
establishment of priorities.
• Counting is not purely technical, but rather a highly political
process.
Governance Assessments in the Arab Region
UNDP RBAS, Regional Center in Cairo
Proliferation of global governance
indicators
Political
Terror Scale
Polity
Freedom in the
World
1974
76
Global
Competitiveness
Index
CPIA
Press
Freedom
Survey
78
80
International
Country Risk
Guide
82
84
86
Global
Accountability
Report
Index of
Democracy
Democracy
Index
World
World
Human Rights Governance
Democracy
Indicators Assessment
Audit
Governance
Gender
and
State Failure
Weberian Empowerment
Democracy
Dataset
Comparative State Measure
Processes
Project
Institutional
Women in
Press
Parliament
Freedom Profiles Database
Index
Index of
Economic
BEEPS Countries at the
Freedom
Crossroads
CIRI
Commitment to Human Rights
Failed
Databse
Development
States Index
Bertelsmann Open Budget
Journalists Governance
Transformation
Index
killed
Matters
Opacity Index
Index
World Values
Corruption Bribe Payers Integrity Index
Survey
Global Peace
Perceptions Index Index
GAPS in Workers’ Index
Rights
88
90
92
94
96
98
00
02
04
06
08
Cross country indices and data
Variable/category
Source
Origin
Type
Political participation/accountability/rule
of law/stability/regulatory
quality/corruption
Political participation/rule of
law/democratic institutions/political &
social integration
Democracy/political
participation/political institutions/civil
and political rights
Corruption
Public sector corruption
Political institutions/corruption
Worldwide Governance Indicators
IGO
Bertelsmann Transformation Index
NGO
Surveys
of 213
public/business/NGOs and
experts
Expert
128
Freedom House
NGO
Expert surveys
197
Transparency International Global
Corruption Barometer survey
NGO
Public surveys
80
Transparency International –
Corruption Perceptions Index
NGO
Expert/public /business
surveys
178
Global Integrity Index
NGO
Expert
79
Cingranelli Richards Human Rights NGO
Database and Political Terror Scale
Expert
192
Expert assessment based
on official data
All
Expert
76
Human rights/rule of law
Freedom
of
independence
Office of the High Commissioner for IGO
Human Rights (OHCHR) - Multilateral
Treaties Deposited with the Secretary
General and Treaty Body Document
databases
expression/media International Research and Exchanges NGO
Board Media Sustainability Index
Country
Coverage
How Governance Assessments
have changed over the last 10-15 years
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
externally driven → internally driven,
technical → political economy aspects,
global → country level and below,
numerical indicators → narrative trajectories,
quantitative → qualitative methods,
top-down → bottom-up approaches including multistakeholders,
7. supply assessments → include demand side aspects as well,
8. assessing effectiveness only → include the assessment of the
legitimacy of policy action.
Country-led governance assessment
What is measured?
1. Governance as a whole (e.g. State of Democracy Framework
from IDEA)
2. Areas of governance (Human Rights, corruption, public
administration, elections, civil society etc.)
3. Principles of governance (integrity of the water sector)
4. National vs. Local level
Who measures?
Multi-stakeholder country-led
• President’s office
• Ministries
• Parliament-led
For what purpose?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
processes
• Independent accountability
institutions (ACAs)
• Think-tank
• Civil society
Promote democratic reform
Evidence-based policy making
Enhance performance based management
Establish baselines to monitor policy implementation
Improve transparency and accountability
Amplifying the voice for the citizens
Dialogue about governance between stakeholders (state, CSOs,
media, private sector)
UNDP/GAP Knowledge Products
- Governance Indicators: A Users' Guide (2nd Edition)
- Planning a Governance Assessment: A guide to approaches, costs and benefits
- A Users’ Guide to Measuring Corruption
- Users' Guide for Measuring Public Administration Performance
- A Users' Guide to Measuring Local Governance
- A Users’ Guide to Civil Society Assessments
- Measuring Democratic Governance: A Framework for selecting pro-poor and
gender sensitive indicators
- Indicators for Human Rights Based Approaches to Development in UNDP
Programming - A Users Guide
- A User’s Guide to Measuring Gender-Sensitive Basic Service Delivery
- Planning a Governance Assessment: A Guide to Approaches, Costs and Benefits
- Maximizing the potential of UNCAC implementation: Making use of the selfassessment checklist
-Users’ Guide on Measuring Fragility
-Assessing Governance for MDGs: A Framework for Practitioners
Governance Assessments in the Arab Region
UNDP RBAS, Regional Center in Cairo
Governance Assessments in the Arab Region
UNDP RBAS, Regional Center in Cairo
Governance Assessments & Social Accountability
For questions/clarifications please contact:
Nina Kolybashkina,
Governance Assessments Specialist
UNDP Regional Centre Cairo
Tel: +202 2770 2204 Mobile: +2017 8288364
E-mail: nina.kolybashkina@undp.org
© United Nations Development Programme
Regional Bureau for Arab States ● Regional Centre in Cairo
2012