1. Governance Assessments and Social Accountability
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

2. 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 2

3. Proliferation of global governance indicators
Global Accountability Report
Index of Democracy
Democracy Index
World Democracy Audit
World Governance Assessment
Human Rights Indicators
Governance and Democracy Processes
Gender Empowerment Measure
State Failure Dataset
Weberian Comparative State Project
Women in Parliament
Institutional Profiles Database
Press Freedom Index
Index of Economic Freedom
BEEPS
Countries at the Crossroads
CIRI Human Rights Databse
Political Terror Scale
Commitment to Development
Failed States Index
Bertelsmann Transformation Index
Global Competitiveness Index
Journalists killed
Governance Matters
Open Budget Index
Polity
Opacity Index
CPIA
International Country Risk Guide
World Values Survey
Corruption Perceptions Index
Integrity Index
Freedom in the World
Press Freedom Survey
Bribe Payers Index
Global Peace Index
GAPS in Workers’ Rights
1974 76 78 80 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 82

4. Cross country indices and data
Variable/category
Source
Origin
Type
Country Coverage
Political participation/accountability/rule of law/stability/regulatory quality/corruption
Worldwide Governance Indicators
IGO
Surveys of public/business/NGOs and experts
213
Political participation/rule of law/democratic institutions/political & social integration
Bertelsmann Transformation Index
NGO
Expert
128
Democracy/political participation/political institutions/civil and political rights
Freedom House
Expert surveys
197
Corruption
Public sector corruption
Political institutions/corruption
Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer survey
Public surveys 80
Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index
Expert/public /business surveys
178
Global Integrity Index 79
Human rights/rule of law
Cingranelli Richards Human Rights Database and Political Terror Scale
192
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) - Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General and Treaty Body Document databases
Expert assessment based on official data
All
Freedom of expression/media independence
International Research and Exchanges Board Media Sustainability Index 76
Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index
170
To illustrate the different sources of data and distinctions between public surveys, expert opinions etc.

5. How Governance Assessments have changed over the last 10-15 years
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 multi-stakeholders,
supply assessments → include demand side aspects as well,
assessing effectiveness only → include the assessment of the legitimacy of policy action.

6. Country-led governance assessment
What is measured?
Governance as a whole (e.g. State of Democracy Framework from IDEA)
Areas of governance (Human Rights, corruption, public administration, elections, civil society etc.)
Principles of governance (integrity of the water sector)
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?
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)
Not everyone is equally familiar with governance data, and the topic and measurements of governance may appear fuzzy, in comparison with socio-economic data, poverty measures and MDG indicators, that are more standardised.
Categorizing governance data in terms of what is measured, we find three main focuses

7. 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 7

8. Governance Assessments in the Arab Region
UNDP RBAS, Regional Center in Cairo 8

9. Governance Assessments & Social Accountability
For questions/clarifications please contact:
Nina Kolybashkina,
Governance Assessments Specialist
UNDP Regional Centre Cairo
Tel: Mobile:
© United Nations Development Programme
Regional Bureau for Arab States ● Regional Centre in Cairo
2012 9