planning a governance assessment - United Nations Development ...

Introduction
Growing demand for country-led governance assessments
Over the past 15 years, governance has become a key concept in the debates surrounding international development.
Governance assessments vary according to the interests, needs and culture of the assessor. Some focus mostly on public
sector corruption; others take a broader approach which can include elements of human rights and democracy examined
across civil society, the private sector, the judiciary and government institutions.
Until recently, governance assessments were dominated by bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as other external
actors. At a meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) GOVNET group, held in
London in February, 2008, over 30 different governance assessment tools were identified, with at least another nine more
under development. Although debate was lively over the need for more of these tools, broad agreement was evident on the
need to support national efforts to monitor and evaluate governance.
While donors’ approaches to assessments are changing, demand is growing within countries for better evidence on
governance. Government and non-government stakeholders in some countries are integrating governance into their
national development plans. Civil society is demanding better information on progress in order to hold governments to
account.
After years of trying to make changes from the outside, donors, such as those in the GOVNET group, are now hoping
that country-led efforts are better situated to improve on democratic governance. There is good reason to believe that
when assessments form part of the national actors’ agenda, instead of that of external actors, assessment results are more
likely to lead to real change. According to UNDP, such country-led democratic governance assessments differ from external
assessments in that they are initiated, implemented and sustained by national actors. Through investing in the assessment,
national stakeholders believe in its legitimacy and hold it to be relevant.
However, the process of conducting a country-led assessment of democratic governance is potentially fraught with politics:
after all, governance is about principles such as transparency, accountability, efficiency, fairness and participation. In many
countries, including many in the North, such topics can be very sensitive. Country-led efforts can, and in some cases will, be
unduly influenced by those in power, who in the end may set the agenda and possibly manipulate the results. In addition to
internal politics, external actors, primarily donors, also have political agendas and often wield considerable power.
To reduce political biases in the assessment results, it is critical that there is a legitimate governance process of indicator
selection. One approach to secure a legitimate process is through broad-based participation that includes both government
and non-government stakeholders. In a participatory approach the process of assessing democratic governance should
mirror the principles of democratic governance. Both process and results must be able to stand public scrutiny, include the
voices of the poor and women, be representative of the populace and be accountable to the citizenry.
What this guide aims to do for you
This guide examines the basic issues that a country or organization should consider when developing and
producing a governance assessment. It is by no means the “last word”, but should serve as a starting point and outline
for those interested in conducting a country-led governance assessment. The paper explains the trade-offs of various
approaches and methodologies in terms of quality and costs. At the same time, it provides some basic background on the
Planning a Governance Assessment: A Guide to Approaches, Costs and Benefits