almanac on security sector oversight in the Western Balkans

SSR Index – Measuring to Advance Democratisation
consortium to test its application in different contexts, improving its focus and highlighting
comparable indicators. Great attention was paid to determining whether
common procedures and instruments are applicable (i.e. verifiable when submitted to
falsification testing) throughout the region. Important innovations in data collection
and validation methods included consultations with journalists and professional representatives
of state authorities of Serbia, as well as the creation of an Expert Review
Committee composed of three independent reviewers. 219
Table 3: Actor vs. Sector-wide approach to measuring democratic governance in security
sector
Actor-oriented approach Sector-oriented approach
• Allows more in-depth analysis of each actor
(e.g. military, police…)
• Recognizes different functions of different
organisations and develops specific
indicators
• More interesting for local advocacy
Challenges:
• It is difficult to integrate results, which
numerically reflect findings for different
types of actors
• Ranking the importance of actors
4 . Goals of the Improved Methodology
• Not all criteria are relevant for every actor
• Better captures human security as an
outcome and service delivered to individual
citizens, irrespective of providers
• More context sensible, taking into account
the interplay among different actors
• More interesting for international and
regional advocacy as it aggregates data for
whole sectors
Challenges:
• As an innovative and relatively untested
method, presents challenges in
implementation
• Potentially less interesting for local
advocacy
• May shift focus away from notable actors
who may serve as an example of best or
worst practices
Flaws and challenges noted in the pilot design led to methodological innovations that
in turn helped redefine the ambition of the research. The improved methodology was
developed in order to:
18. Create a methodological instrument for measuring SSR from the perspective of
civil society in transition countries;
19. Generate and share useful knowledge on the state of democratic governance in
the security sector;
20. Account for a whole-of-sector approach and the interplay between individual
components of the security sector;
21. Enhance civil society’s advocacy potential, based on systematized evidence;
22. Increase the capacity and commitment of civil society stakeholders to strengthen
democratic oversight over the security sector.
219 This issue is presented in greater detail in the section of this chapter on data collection.
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Almanac on Security Sector Oversight in the Western Balkans