Kaufmann, DanielKraay, AartMastruzzi, Massimo2012-03-302012-03-302010European Journal of Development Research09578811https://hdl.handle.net/10986/5897Thomas (2009) dismisses the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) as an 'elaborate and unsupported hypothesis' because of the failure to demonstrate the 'construct validity' of these indicators. We argue that 'construct validity' is not a useful tool to assess the merits of the WGI, and even if it were, Thomas provides no evidence of any practical consequences of failure to meet the criteria of construct validity.ENIndex Numbers and Aggregationleading indicators C430Models of Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior D720Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government H110Formal and Informal SectorsShadow EconomyInstitutional Arrangements O170Journal ArticleWorld Bank