A Users' Guide to Measuring Local Governance
A Users' Guide to Measuring Local Governance
A Users' Guide to Measuring Local Governance
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9<br />
Observa<strong>to</strong>ry of Democracy in Central America: System of<br />
Legal and Institutional <strong>Governance</strong> Indica<strong>to</strong>rs for Central<br />
America<br />
Producer<br />
Centro Estudios para el Futuro<br />
His<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
During 2000-2003, the Observa<strong>to</strong>ry (a network of 9<br />
research institutions based in 5 Central American<br />
countries) generated extensive research on<br />
legal/institutional governance and the practice,<br />
evolution and requirements of rule of law in 5<br />
Central American countries: Guatemala, El<br />
Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica.<br />
From 2004 <strong>to</strong> 2007, the Observa<strong>to</strong>ry documented<br />
normative best practices from 16 OECD countries<br />
with regards <strong>to</strong> their juridical, institutional and<br />
legal frameworks, and applied these best practices<br />
<strong>to</strong> the design of a System of Indica<strong>to</strong>rs on Legal<br />
and Institutional <strong>Governance</strong> for Central America.<br />
This assessment methodology was applied <strong>to</strong> the 5<br />
above mentioned Central American countries, and<br />
generated detailed recommendations for legal<br />
and institutional reforms.<br />
The 99 variables and 475 indica<strong>to</strong>rs composing<br />
the System of Legal and Institutional Indica<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
of Democratic <strong>Governance</strong> cover five broad<br />
dimensions of institutional building, legal<br />
organization and public policies in contemporary<br />
societies: 1. Constitutional Framework, Legal<br />
Regime and Institutional Structure of the State; 2.<br />
Elec<strong>to</strong>ral System, Political Representation and<br />
Participation; 3. Financial and Public Fund System;<br />
4. Public Investment on Democratic Institutions; 5.<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Government and Decentralisation.<br />
Given the focus of this guide on decentralised<br />
governance, only the module on “<strong>Local</strong> Government<br />
and Decentralisation” is presented here.<br />
Objectives<br />
The Project Observa<strong>to</strong>ry of Democracy in Central<br />
America proposes a system of indica<strong>to</strong>rs of legal<br />
and institutional governance for Central American<br />
countries. The idea is <strong>to</strong> provide State bodies and<br />
their institutions with benchmarks for legal and<br />
organisational performance at the national and<br />
sub-national levels.<br />
Applicability<br />
The <strong>to</strong>ol is best suited <strong>to</strong> Central American countries.<br />
Types and sources of data used<br />
Objective data only, mainly from constitutions,<br />
secondary laws, decrees, and other provisions,<br />
budget data, etc.<br />
Methodology<br />
The module on <strong>Local</strong> Government and<br />
Decentralisation includes 8 variables and 43 legal<br />
indica<strong>to</strong>rs. The value assigned <strong>to</strong> each indica<strong>to</strong>r is<br />
0, 100 or an intermediate value. The great majority<br />
of indica<strong>to</strong>rs are of an IF or NOT (existence) type.<br />
The following table presents the framework of the<br />
module on “<strong>Local</strong> Government and Decentralisation”:<br />
Indica<strong>to</strong>rs are selected on the basis of three<br />
analytical categories:<br />
• Parameters of legal existence (yes/no) (weight:<br />
25% of indica<strong>to</strong>r value)<br />
• Parameters of standard typology (consistency<br />
of this norm/disposition with international<br />
“benchmark”) (weight: 25% of indica<strong>to</strong>r value)<br />
• Parameters of systemic efficacy or implementation<br />
(efficacy of system at implementing this<br />
norm/disposition, looking at 8 fac<strong>to</strong>rs which<br />
were identified as being key for enabling or<br />
interfering in the achievement of the goals and<br />
objectives of the legal provision e.g. legal<br />
systemic contradictions and overlaps,<br />
insufficient budget or financial support,<br />
inadequate civil service, partial/differentiated<br />
application of the law in the same terri<strong>to</strong>ry,<br />
etc.) (weight: 50% of indica<strong>to</strong>r value)<br />
The table below shows this breakdown for each<br />
indica<strong>to</strong>r (25% for existence; 25% for benchmarking;<br />
50% for system efficacy), and shows how different<br />
weights are assigned <strong>to</strong> different indica<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
making up one ‘variable’ (see column ‘value’).<br />
90 UNDP Oslo <strong>Governance</strong> Centre