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About WGA

The quality of governance is an issue of increasing concern in countries around the world, both developed and developing. And if governance matters, so does the need for more reliable and valid data on key governance processes. The United Nations University began to address this need in a World Governance Survey (WGS), carried out in early 2001. The survey focused on three main questions: How can we best measure governance? How does governance performance differ across time and space? Which are the most critical issues of governance?

Using a comprehensive framework and questionnaire, governance assessments were undertaken in 16 developing and transitional societies, representing 51% of the world's population. A national coordinator selected a panel of experts to complete the assessment exercise in each country. The panel comprised of persons with extensive experience of the governance realm (e.g. parliamentarians, researchers, lawyers, bureaucrats, etc); around 35 people were interviewed per country. The project represents an initiative to try to generate new systematic, comprehensive assessments of governance at the national level.

First, the project developed a comprehensive framework and process-oriented set of indicators for assessing governance. The framework disaggregated the governance realm into six arenas and identified indictors based on widely held "principles" of good governance: participation, fairness, decency, accountability, transparency and efficiency.

Second, the project developed and tested a new approach to collecting governance data at the national level. Respondents were asked to rank each answer on a scale from 5 to 1; the higher the score, the better. In addition, respondents were invited to provide qualitative comments; thus the approach also generated very rich qualitative data.

The World Governance Survey was directed by Julius Court (United Nations University) and Goran Hyden (University of Florida). Ken Mease (University of Florida) was Senior Advisor. The project was carried out in partnership with local institutions in assessment countries - and with generous support from UNU and UNDP. A new, larger round of country assessments is planned for 2003.

Governance Arenas