Publication:
The Worldwide Governance Indicators and Tautology : Causally Related Separable Concepts, Indicators of a Common Cause, or Both?

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dc.contributor.authorLangbein, Laura
dc.contributor.authorKnack, Stephen
dc.date.accessioned2012-06-01T14:34:23Z
dc.date.available2012-06-01T14:34:23Z
dc.date.issued2008-07
dc.description.abstractAggregate indexes of the quality of governance, covering large samples of countries, are widely used in research and in aid policy. Few studies examine the validity of these indexes, however. This paper partially fills this gap by examining empirically the dimensionality of the Worldwide Governance Indicators. The six indexes purportedly measure distinct concepts of control of corruption, rule of law, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, political stability, and voice and accountability. Using standard statistical techniques for testing measurement validity, the analysis concludes that the six indexes do not discriminate usefully among different aspects of governance. Rather, each of the indexes merely reflects perceptions of the quality of governance more broadly. An implication of the findings is that the Worldwide Governance Indicator indexes are frequently misused in research and policy applications, where it is commonly assumed that the indexes provide distinct measures of different aspects of the quality of governance. A further implication is that Transparency International's even more widely-known aggregate index similarly reflects perceptions not only of corruption, as intended, but of the quality of governance more broadly.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/07/9670849/worldwide-governance-indicators-tautology-causally-related-separable-concepts-indicators-common-cause-or-both
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-4669
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/6839
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper No. 4669
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectACCOUNTABILITY
dc.subjectACCOUNTING
dc.subjectAGGREGATE INDEXES
dc.subjectAGGREGATING GOVERNANCE INDICATORS
dc.subjectAUTOCORRELATION
dc.subjectBRIBES
dc.subjectBUREAUCRACY
dc.subjectBUSINESS MANAGERS
dc.subjectCITIZENS
dc.subjectCIVIL LIBERTIES
dc.subjectCOMPETITION POLICY
dc.subjectCONTROLLING CORRUPTION
dc.subjectCORRELATIONS
dc.subjectCORRUPT
dc.subjectCORRUPTION
dc.subjectCORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS
dc.subjectCORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX
dc.subjectCOUNTRY DATA
dc.subjectCRIME
dc.subjectCRONY
dc.subjectDEMOCRACY
dc.subjectDISCRETION
dc.subjectDOMAIN
dc.subjectECONOMIC GROWTH
dc.subjectENTRY
dc.subjectEQUATIONS
dc.subjectEXTRACTING
dc.subjectFACTOR ANALYSIS
dc.subjectGOOD GOVERNANCE
dc.subjectGOODNESS OF FIT
dc.subjectGOVERNANCE INDICATOR
dc.subjectGOVERNANCE RATINGS
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT EFFECTIVENESS
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
dc.subjectHETEROSCEDASTICITY
dc.subjectHUMAN DEVELOPMENT
dc.subjectHUMAN RIGHTS
dc.subjectHYPOTHESES
dc.subjectINCOME
dc.subjectINDEPENDENT VARIABLES
dc.subjectINDICES
dc.subjectINEQUALITY
dc.subjectINSTITUTIONAL QUALITY
dc.subjectINVESTIGATION
dc.subjectLAWS
dc.subjectLOGIC
dc.subjectMATRIX
dc.subjectMAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION
dc.subjectMEASUREMENT ERRORS
dc.subjectMEDIA
dc.subjectNATIONS
dc.subjectPERCEPTIONS INDEX
dc.subjectPOLITICAL ANALYSIS
dc.subjectPOLITICAL CORRUPTION
dc.subjectPOLITICAL ECONOMY
dc.subjectPOLITICAL INFLUENCE
dc.subjectPOLITICAL INSTABILITY
dc.subjectPOLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
dc.subjectPOLITICAL OFFICIALS
dc.subjectPOLITICAL PARTIES
dc.subjectPOLITICAL RIGHTS
dc.subjectPOLITICAL STABILITY
dc.subjectPOLITICAL SURVIVAL
dc.subjectPOLITICIANS
dc.subjectPRIVATE GAIN
dc.subjectPROBABILITY
dc.subjectPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
dc.subjectPUBLIC AFFAIRS
dc.subjectPUBLIC INFORMATION
dc.subjectPUBLIC MANAGEMENT
dc.subjectPUBLIC OFFICIALS
dc.subjectPUBLIC RESOURCES
dc.subjectPUBLIC SERVICES
dc.subjectREADING
dc.subjectREGULATORY QUALITY
dc.subjectRELIABILITY
dc.subjectRESEARCHERS
dc.subjectRULE OF LAW
dc.subjectSOCIAL CAPITAL
dc.subjectSOCIAL INTERACTIONS
dc.subjectSOCIAL SCIENCE
dc.subjectSTATISTICAL TECHNIQUES
dc.subjectSUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
dc.subjectTAX ADMINISTRATION
dc.subjectTAX POLICY
dc.subjectTERRORISM
dc.subjectTRANSPARENCY
dc.subjectUNOFFICIAL ECONOMY
dc.subjectVALIDITY
dc.subjectVIOLENCE
dc.subjectWEB
dc.subjectWORLDWIDE GOVERNANCE INDICATORS
dc.titleThe Worldwide Governance Indicators and Tautology : Causally Related Separable Concepts, Indicators of a Common Cause, or Both?en
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crossref.titleThe Worldwide Governance Indicators And Tautology: Causally Related Separable Concepts, Indicators Of A Common Cause, Or Both?
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-10T09:13:29.766620Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/07/9670849/worldwide-governance-indicators-tautology-causally-related-separable-concepts-indicators-common-cause-or-both
okr.globalpracticeTransport and ICT
okr.globalpracticeGovernance
okr.guid771241468340867039
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-4669
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum000158349_20080714131502
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum9670849
okr.identifier.reportWPS4669
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/07/14/000158349_20080714131502/Rendered/PDF/WPS4669.pdfen
okr.sectorPublic Administration, Law, and Justice :: General public administration sector
okr.themePublic sector governance :: Other public sector governance
okr.topicPublic Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures
okr.topicStatistical and Mathematical Sciences
okr.topicGovernance::National Governance
okr.topicInformation Security and Privacy
okr.topicGovernance::Governance Indicators
okr.topicScience and Technology Development
okr.topicPublic Sector Development
okr.unitDevelopment Research Group (DECRG)
okr.volume1 of 1
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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