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.
Reformers in many governments as well as civil society and investors increasingly view governance as key for development and the investment climate. Donors have also come to the view that aid flows have a stronger impact on development in countries with good institutional quality. Donors increasingly use measurable performance indicators for monitoring, evaluation and decision-making at country level. There is therefore increased demand for monitoring the quality of governance in a country over time, and measuring and interpreting governance trends. The World Bank's aggregate indicators measure six dimensions of governance (voice and accountability; political instability and violence; government effectiveness; regulatory quality; rule of law; control of corruption).
See full Article.
Posts
