A Users' Guide to Measuring Local Governance

Summary matrix: Main features of tools profiled in the Source Guide (continued)
Tool
Cost-benefit
analysis
Purpose
Information
sources
Lead actor(s)
applying the tool
Explicit poverty
measures
Explicit gender
measures
Remarks
Approaches based on multiple stakeholder perspectives (continued)
9
OBSERVATORY OF
DEMOCRACY IN
CENTRAL AMERICA
(Centro de
Estudios para el
Futuro)
Longer, costlier and
more detailed/
reliable findings
Diagnostic Objective sources Both: Assessment
facilitated by a
national research
institution, in
collaboration with a
national steering
committee
composed of key
government
representatives
No No • Unique in its
three-pronged
assessment focus on
substantive rights
(existence of proper
legal provision),
procedural rights
(existence of
effective
mechanisms to
implement these
rights) and systemic
rights (interactions
between legal
provisions and other
systemic factors
such as public
budgets, proper
institutions and
public officials)
10
DESDE Lo
Local – Strategic
Decentralization
for Local
Development
(Mexico)
Longer, costlier and
more detailed/
reliable findings
Diagnostic Objective sources Mainly internal
municipal staff
(self-assessment),
plus a neutral body
to verify the results
Both disaggregated
and specific to the
poor
Both disaggregated
and gender specific
Strength:
• The three-color
code for presenting
results focuses
attention on weaker
areas within a
municipality, and
downplays
inter-municipality
comparisons
Weakness:
• Relies exclusively
on objective data
assessing the
existence of
mechanisms for
local governance,
but fails to assess
the quality of these
mechanisms
11
COUNCIL OF
EUROPES’S GUIDE
FOR DEVELOPING
WELL BEING /
PROGRESS
INDICATORS WITH
CITIZENS –
APPLICATION OF
THE GOVERNANCE
MODULE IN
TIMISOARA
(Romania)
Longer, costlier and
more detailed/
reliable findings
Mainly CD to
facilitate
engagement of
citizens in
governance
processes
Both subjective and
objective sources
External:
multi-stakeholder
consultations (with
different groups of
citizens) facilitated
by independent
researchers
Both disaggregated
and specific to the
poor
Both disaggregated
and gender specific
• Addresses more
social cohesion and
“well-being” than
underlying
governance issues
A Users’ Guide to Measuring Local Governance 53