For instance,a number of Ukrainian cities are acting on the basis of diagnotic surveys to improve the effectiveness of local government in delivering public services. In Campo Elias, Venezuela, thanks to the leadership of the mayor, a courageous woman who believes in the power of governance data to inform and mobilize for action, the reported incidence of corruption has been halved. Evidence from more than 1,500 World Bank-financed projects suggests that civil liberties and citizen participation are important factors for development outcomes. We found consistently large effects of civil liberties on project rates of return. Depending on the measure of civil liberties used, if a country were to improve its civil liberties from the worst to the best, the economic rate of return of projects could increase by as much as 22.5 percent.
Good governance is more than fighting corruption.
No two countries arrive at the same strategy, but to maximize the prospects of success any country serious about improving governance must involve all key stakeholders, guarantee a flow of information to them and lock in commitments from leaders. Daniel Kaufman is a senior manager in the Governance, Finance and Regulatory reform group at the World Bank Institute. All Rights reserved.