Governance, democracy and poverty reduction: lessons drawn from household surveys in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America

Arbeitspapier

Public statistics face quite a challenge when it comes to measuring new dimensions of development (institutions, governance, and social and political participation). To take up this challenge, modules on Governance, Democracy and Multiple Dimensions of Poverty have been appended to household surveys by National Statistics Institutes in twelve African and Latin-American developing countries. This paper presents the issues addressed and the methodological lessons learnt along with a selection of findings to illustrate this innovative approach and demonstrate its analytic potential. We investigate, for instance, the population's support for democratic principles, the respect for civil and political rights and the trust in the political class; the 'need for the State', particularly of the poorest; the extent of petty corruption; the reliability of expert surveys on governance; the perception of decentralisation policies at local level; the level and vitality of social and political participation, etc. The conclusive appraisal made opens up prospects for the national statistical information systems in the developing countries. The measurement and tracking of this new set of objective and subjective public policy monitoring indicators would benefit from being made systematic.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IAI Discussion Papers ; No. 136

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; General Welfare; Well-Being ; Measurement and Analysis of Poverty ; Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs ; Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government ; Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption ; Economywide Country Studies: Latin America; Caribbean ; Economywide Country Studies: Africa
• Subject: Governance-Ansatz ; Demokratie ; Armutspolitik ; Entwicklungspolitik ; Theorie ; Korruption ; Statistische Erhebung ; Afrika südlich der Sahara ; Lateinamerika

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Herrera, Javier ; Razafindrakoto, Mireille ; Roubaud, François
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research (IAI)
• (where): Göttingen
• (when): 2005

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/27426
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET