Editors/Authors: Goran Hyden, Julius Court and Kenneth Mease

The World Governance Assessment uses a standard closed ended questionnaire to capture subjective perceptions on governance at the national level. The questionnaire contains 41 questions, divided into seven parts, covering rules throughout the governance realm, ones that are thought to affect the legitimacy of the polity at large and its policy performance. In addition to the 41 indicators, we also collect additional information regarding separation of powers, gender issues, the role of ethnicity, poverty and government support for reform. The questionnaire has been tested in the first phase of the WGA project - and found acceptable in 16 diverse countries representing 51% of the world's population. We believe it provides a valuable way to assess governance in a coherent and comprehensive manner.

The assessment instrument is a pre-coded, multiple-choice questionnaire. It seeks ratings on the present governance situation as well as five years previous. In addition to indicating which standard answer comes closest for each question, we seek additional comments to better explain the situation in each country.

Part I: covers the extent of participation in the political process. 

Part II: covers the way interests in society are aggregated in the political process. 

Part III: covers government stewardship of the system as a whole. 

Part IV: covers policy implementation, particularly the bureaucracy. 

Part V: covers the relationship between the state and the market. 

Part VI: covers dispute resolution, particularly the judiciary. 

Part VII: asks a few general questions. 

To access the WGA-website, including the framework, indicators and findings click here