United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Arab States ● Regional Centre in Cairo Governance Assessments and Social Accountability Governance Assessments in the Arab Region UNDP RBAS, Regional Center 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 CPIA Freedom in the World Commitment to Development Bertelsmann Transformation Index Global Accountability Report Index of Economic Freedom Journalists killed Open Budget Index Polity International Country Risk Guide Corruption Perceptions Index Opacity Index Integrity Index Human Rights Indicators Bribe Payers Index GAPS in Workers’ Rights BEEPS Press Freedom Survey Political Terror Scale Global Competitiveness Index World Governance Assessment World Values Survey State Failure Dataset Weberian Comparative State Project CIRI Human Rights Databse Women in Parliament Governance Matters Gender Empowerment Measure Index of Democracy World Democracy Audit Countries at the Crossroads Failed States Index Press Freedom Index Democracy Index Institutional Profiles Database Governance and Democracy Processes Global Peace Index

Variable/categorySource OriginTypeCountry Coverage Political participation/accountability/rule of law/stability/regulatory quality/corruption Worldwide Governance Indicators IGOSurveys of public/business/NGOs and experts 213 Political participation/rule of law/democratic institutions/political & social integration Bertelsmann Transformation IndexNGOExpert128 Democracy/political participation/political institutions/civil and political rights Freedom HouseNGOExpert surveys197 Corruption Public sector corruption Political institutions/corruption Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer survey NGOPublic surveys80 Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index NGOExpert/public /business surveys 178 Global Integrity Index NGOExpert79 Human rights/rule of law Cingranelli Richards Human Rights Database and Political Terror Scale NGOExpert192 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) - Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General and Treaty Body Document databases IGOExpert assessment based on official data All Freedom of expression/media independence International Research and Exchanges Board Media Sustainability Index NGOExpert76 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index NGOExpert170 Cross country indices and data

How Governance Assessments have changed over the last years 1.externally driven → internally driven, 2.technical → political economy aspects, 3.global → country level and below, 4.numerical indicators → narrative trajectories, 5.quantitative → qualitative methods, 6.top-down → bottom-up approaches including multi- stakeholders, 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 processes Independent accountability institutions (ACAs) Think-tank Civil society For what purpose?1.Promote democratic reform 2.Evidence-based policy making 3.Enhance performance based management 4.Establish baselines to monitor policy implementation 5.Improve transparency and accountability 6.Amplifying the voice for the citizens 7.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 self- assessment 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

© United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Arab States ● Regional Centre in Cairo 2012 Governance Assessments & Social Accountability For questions/clarifications please contact: Nina Kolybashkina, Governance Assessments Specialist UNDP Regional Centre Cairo Tel: Mobile: