Abstract
Precise measurements of governance as a whole, and of governance separated into its component parts, permit researchers and policy-makers to separate good performers from bad performers, regionally and globally. Carefully and painstakingly measuring governance by the outcome method can show whether regimes are delivering necessary and desirable governmentally provided performance results to their citizens. This concept of governance enables an existing government, civil society, or donors to appreciate which parts of an overall system are working well and which poorly. Critical decisions can thus be made that can, in the best of circumstances, improve living conditions for the inhabitants of the developing world.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
For earlier writings, see the Rotberg entries in the references.
References
Andrews, M. (2013). Rethinking Governance Indicators. APSA-Comparative Politics Newsletter, 23(1), 5–7. Retrieved from http://comparativenewsletter.com/files/archived_newsletters/2013_winter.pdf.
Arndt, C., & Oman, C. (2006). Uses and Abuses of Governance Indicators. Paris: OECD Development Centre.
Biersteker, T. (2015). Global Governance. In R. I. Rotberg (Ed.), On Governance: What It Is, What It Means and Its Policy Uses (pp. 135–150). Waterloo: Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Birdsall, N. (2016). Middle-Class Heroes: The Best Guarantee of Good Governance. Foreign Affairs, 95(2), 25–32.
Bratton, M. (2013a). Governance: Disaggregating Concept and Measurement. APSA-Comparative Politics Newsletter, 23(1), 12–14. Retrieved from http://comparativenewsletter.com/files/archived_newsletters/2013_winter.pdf.
Bratton, M. (2013b). Measuring Government Performance in Public Opinion Surveys in Africa: Towards Experiments? (United Nations University WIDER Working Paper 23/2013). Retrieved from https://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2013/en_GB/wp2013-023/.
Freedom House. (2013). Freedom in the World 2013: Democratic Breakthroughs in the Balance. Selected Data from Freedom House’s Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. Washington, DC: Freedom House. Retrieved from https://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf.
Fukuyama, F. (2013a). What Is Governance? Governance, 26(3), 347–368.
Fukuyama, F. (2013b). What Is Governance? (Center for Global Development Working Paper 314). Washington, DC: Center for Global Development. Retrieved from https://www.cgdev.org/publication/what-governance-working-paper-314.
Gisselquist, R. M. (2012). Good Governance as a Concept, and Why This Matters for Development Policy (United Nations University WIDER Working Paper 30/2012). Retrieved from https://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2012/en_GB/wp2012-030/.
Gisselquist, R. M. (2015). Evaluating Governance Indexes: Key Criteria. In R. Rotberg (Ed.), On Governance: What It Is, What It Measures, and Its Policy Uses (pp. 23–54). Waterloo: CIGI Press.
Heller, N. (2013). How to Measure a Post-2015 MDG on Good Governance. Global Integrity. Retrieved from https://www.globalintegrity.org/posts/how-to-measure-a-post-2015-mdg-on-good-governance/.
Huntington, S. P. (2006). Political Order in Changing Societies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Jerven, M. (2013). Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A., & Mastruzzi, M. (2010). The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Methodology and Analytical Issues. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2010/09/wgi-kaufmann.
Rotberg, R. I. (2004a). Strengthening Governance: Ranking Countries Would Help. Washington Quarterly, 28(1), 71–81.
Rotberg, R. I. (2004b). Improving Governance in the World: Creating a Measuring and Ranking System. In R. I. Rotberg & D. L. West (Eds.), The Good Governance Problem: Doing Something about It (pp. 3–30). Cambridge, MA: World Peace Foundation.
Rotberg, R. I. (2007). On Improving Nation-State Governance. Daedalus, 136(1), 151–155.
Rotberg, R. I. (2012). Transformative Political Leadership: Making a Difference in the Developing World. Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press.
Rotberg, R. I. (2013). Governance Trumps Democracy: Examining the African Experience. In M. Boss, J. Moller, & S. E. Skaaning (Eds.), Developing Democracies: Democracy, Democratization, and Development (pp. 98–115). Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
Rotberg, R. I. (2014). Good Governance Means Performance and Results. Governance, 27(3), 511–518.
Rotberg, R. I. (2015). The Governance of Nations: Definitions and Measures. In R. I. Rotberg (Ed.), On Governance: What It Is, What It Measures, and Its Policy Uses (pp. 7–22). Waterloo: CIGI Press.
Rotberg, R. I. (2017). The Corruption Cure: How Citizens and Leaders can Combat Graft. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Rotberg, R. I., & Bhushan, A. (2015). The Indexes of Governance. In R. I. Rotberg (Ed.), On Governance, On Governance: What It Is, What It Measures, and Its Policy Uses (pp. 55–90). Waterloo: CIGI Press.
Rotberg, R. I., & Gisselquist, R. M. (2007). Strengthening African Governance: The Index of African Governance. Cambridge, MA: World Peace Foundation.
Rotberg, R. I., & Gisselquist, R. M. (2008). Strengthening African Governance: The Index of African Governance. Cambridge, MA: World Peace Foundation.
Rotberg, R. I., & Gisselquist, R. M. (2009). Strengthening African Governance: The Index of African Governance. Cambridge, MA: World Peace Foundation.
Rothstein, B. (2011). The Quality of Government: Corruption, Social Trust, and Inequality in International Perspective. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Rothstein, B., & Teorell, J. (2013). The Quality of Government: What It Is? How to Measure It? APSA-Comparative Politics Newsletter, 23(1), 1–5. Retrieved from http://comparativenewsletter.com/files/archived_newsletters/2013_winter.pdf.
Thomas, M. A. (2010). What Do the Worldwide Governance Indicators Measure? European Journal of Development Research, 22, 31–54.
United Nations Development Programme. (2000). Strategy Note on Governance for Human Development. New York: United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/dam/2007.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rotberg, R.I. (2018). Good Governance: Measuring the Performance of Governments. In: Malito, D., Umbach, G., Bhuta, N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Indicators in Global Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62707-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62707-6_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62706-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62707-6
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)