Governance Matters 2009: Learning From Over a Decade of the Worldwide Governance Indicators

Today we are releasing the report Governance Matters VIII, which includes the new update of the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI).   Now collaborating from the Brookings Institution, I continue to take part in this research project with my former World Bank colleagues Aart Kraay and Massimo Mastruzzi.

In the WGI we construct and measure six dimensions of governance, namely: Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption.

The new WGI is based on 35 different data sources, aggregating data from hundreds of disaggregated questions posed to tens of thousands respondents, covering 212 countries around the world.  Access to thenew Governance Matters report is here, and to the data is here.  

While we find little evidence of improved governance worldwide on average over the past decade, there is a very pronounced variation in performance across countries.   Some countries have markedly imporoved, other have deteriorated.  The all mighty countries in the G-8 are not the models of good governance; instead the Nordics and New Zealand are.  Some emerging economies do better in governance that some rich OECD countries.