strengthening african governance

303 Pages·2009·3.6 MB·English

STRENGTHENING
AFRICAN GOVERNANCE

index of african governance

results and rankings
2009
Robert I. Rotberg and Rachel M. Gisselquist
A Project of
The Program on Intrastate Conflict and Conflict Resolution
at The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
&
The World Peace Foundation
This publication was created at the Program on Intrastate Conflict and Conflict Resolution
at Harvard’s Kennedy School, under the direction of
Robert I. Rotberg and Rachel M. Gisselquist.
© The President and Fellows of Harvard College and Robert I. Rotberg
Harvard Kennedy School
79 John F. Kennedy Street, Box 121
Cambridge, MA 02138
October 2009
i
CONTENTS
part i: overall results and rankings
new in the 2009 index of african governance v
the research team 1
. :
i the meaning of governance ranking africa 7
ii. the 2009 results: index of african governance 15
. , ,
iii measurement methods and more 25
:
a sensitivity analysis a robust model to measure

governance in african countries 33
:
country responses 37

rwanda
part ii: categories of analysis
i: safety and security 45

national security 58
Government Involvement in Armed Conflicts
Number of Battle-Deaths in Armed Conflicts
Number of Civilian Deaths Due to One-Sided Violence
Refugees and Asylum Seekers Originating From the Country
Internally Displaced Persons
Access to Small Arms and Light Weapons
79
public safety

Level of Violent Crime (Based on Homicide Rates)

researcher’s report: gender-based violence—approaches to
measurement (by adibeli nduka-agwu)
ii rotberg & gisselquist i Strengthening African Governance
: , ,
ii rule of law transparency and corruption 97
108
ratification of critical legal norms

Ratification of Core International Human Rights Conventions
International Sanctions
Property Rights
117
judicial independence and efficiency
Judicial Independence
Efficiency of the Courts
Number of Days to Settle a Contract Dispute
129
corruption
Public Sector Corruption
:
iii participation and human rights 133
146
participation in elections

Free, Fair, and Competitive Elections
Free and Fair Executive Elections
Opposition Participation in Executive Elections
Free and Fair Legislative Elections
Opposition Participation in Legislative Elections

respect for civil and political rights 154
Respect for Physical Integrity Rights
Respect for Civil Rights
Press Freedom
Women’s Rights
Women’s Economic Rights
Women’s Political Rights
Women’s Social Rights
iii
:
iv sustainable economic opportunity 171
186
wealth creation
GDP per Capita Based on PPP
Economic Growth
192
macroeconomic stability and financial integrity
Inflation
Government Surplus/Deficits
Reliability of Financial Institutions
Business Environment (Number of Days to Start a Business)
201
the arteries of commerce
Road Network
Electricity Capacity
Telephone Subscribers
Internet Usage
218
environmental sensitivity
Environmental Performance Index

:
v human development 221

236
poverty

Poverty and Inequality
Poverty Rate at National Poverty Line
Poverty Rate at $1.25 per Person per Day
Inequality (GINI index)
iv rotberg & gisselquist i Strengthening African Governance
248
heath and sanitation
Life Expectancy at Birth (Years)
Child Mortality
Maternal Mortality Ratio
Undernourishment
Immunization
Measles
DPT
HIV Prevalence
Incidence of Tuberculosis
Health Care Workforce
Access to Doctors
Access to Nurses
Sanitation and Drinking Water
Access to Improved Sanitation Facilities
Access to Drinking Water
276
education

Adult Literacy Rate
Adult Literacy Rate, Female
Primary Education Completion Rate
Primary Education Completion Rate, Female
Progression to Secondary School
Ratio of Girls to Boys in School
Pupil-Teacher Ratio, Primary
v
new in the
2009 index of african governance
1. The Index of African Governance now includes detailed scores and rankings on all fifty-three African countries,
adding assessment of the five North African countries to the forty-eight sub-Saharan African countries assessed in
previous editions.
2. The Index now uses raw data collected by in-country affiliates in thirty-eight of the fifty-three countries of Africa.
Where and when appropriate, the Index supplements its assessments of Africa through internationally comparable
data with data collected by its own researchers in those countries.
3. The Index is now subject to a thorough sensitivity analysis, rigorously undertaken for the Index by an outside
research team.
4. The Index is now capable of being displayed and its data arrayed in a variety of useful ways and places.
5. The 2009 Index continues the 2007 and 2008 Ibrahim Indexes of African Governance, using the methods pio-
neered by Robert I. Rotberg and Rachel M. Gisselquist in those years. This is a continuation of the original Index.
6. The 2007 and 2008 Ibrahim Indexes, and the first four months of research on the 2009 Index were generously
supported by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Since the end of 2008, there has been no official connection between
the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and this Index. It is now backed by the World Peace Foundation of Cambridge,
Massachusetts and remains based in the Program on Intrastate Conflict in the Harvard Kennedy School.
For details on the first five new items above, please see the end of the first essay in this Index, “The Meaning of
Governance: Ranking Africa.”
vi rotberg & gisselquist i Strengthening African Governance
1
THE RESEARCH TEAM
2009

The Index of African Governance is compiled and updated annually by a team of researchers at Harvard University
and across Africa, under the leadership of Robert I. Rotberg and Rachel M. Gisselquist. The 2007 and 2008 editions of
the Index were published as the Ibrahim Index of African Governance. In the first edition, published in 2007, Rotberg
and Gisselquist set out the Index’s basic framework and theory of governance, building on earlier work by Rotberg. The
Index and all of its data have been revised annually to reflect the latest research and best data currently available. The
project has been advised by a distinguished Executive Council of African scholars and business leaders, whose names
are listed below.
Although based at Harvard’s Kennedy School, the Index of African Governance project is committed to African
involvement—particularly of scholars and students—and to the transition of the project to African counterparts. The
Index’s team, both at Harvard and in Africa, reflects that commitment.
Since 2008, Rotberg and Gisselquist have built a team of research affiliates (institutions and individuals) throughout
the continent. They have collaborated on the collection of basic data for the Index in thirty-eight countries. In 2009,
affiliates in twenty-nine countries submitted data collection questionnaires. The 2009 Index also drew on data collection
completed during 2007-2008 by research affiliates in nine additional countries. These research affiliates lend a wide
range of experience; while most are in academia or national statistical agencies, others are from the NGO sector, in
journalism, or have independent consulting backgrounds. Each year, this (growing) team of in-country researchers
diligently collects official statistics and other information on a range of indicators from sources in their countries. Many
of these in-country researchers, well-respected scholars and analysts, also share their insights on the reliability of the
figures and the Index project more generally. As anyone who has conducted research in Africa will know, this task is
far from straightforward: Many countries lack the resources to produce basic statistics in a timely way. Many others do
not make public the information that they do collect. Although government agencies in some countries have provided
extensive support for our project, in other countries the relevant agencies have cooperated less fully with our researchers.
In addition to this team of in-country researchers, the Index project, from its inception, has worked with a talented and
international group of graduate student researchers at Harvard, including African students from across the continent.
This Harvard-based team provides assistance with quantitative analysis and with coding projects, compiles data from
international sources, and conducts literature reviews and desk studies. Several of our Harvard research assistants have
also contributed published papers to the Index.
Finally, since 2008, the Index project has actively sought to build and deepen collaborative research with African
academics and analysts. As part of this effort, the project in October 2008 held a workshop on the Ibrahim Index at
Harvard (funded by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the World Peace Foundation). The workshop brought together
for a week of discussions scholars from universities in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Nigeria,
Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania. Rotberg and Gisselquist have also met directly with other scholars during trips
throughout the region to solicit feedback, to learn about the latest research on the continent, and to introduce the Index
as a research and teaching tool.
Rotberg and Gisselquist invite those interested in working with the Index project to contact them directly. They are
especially interested in contacts from countries where the project currently lacks an in-country research affiliate.
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INDEX OF AFRICAN GOVERNANCE TEAM
HARVARD TEAM
Director: Robert I. Rotberg, Director of the Program on Intrastate Conflict in the Harvard Kennedy School and
President of the World Peace Foundation
Research Director: Rachel M. Gisselquist, M.P.P., Ph.D.
Editor: Emily Wood, M.A.

Administrative Team: Katie Naeve
2008–2009 Researchers and Affiliated Scholars: Rahma Adam, Marie Besançon, Denise Garcia, Yeonkyung Grace
Park, Katie Naeve, Adibeli Nduka-Agwu, Oyinola Shyllon, and Adam Ziegfeld
2007–2008 Researchers and Affiliated Scholars: Rahma Adam, Denise Garcia, Zekarias Hussein, Dambudzo
Muzenda, Sagita Muco, Yeonkyung Grace Park, Laura Rudert, and Oyinola Shyllon
2007 Researchers: Emmanuel Bagenda, Renata Campante, Sue Drummond Haley, Maya Horii, Zekarias Hussein,
Heather Jensen, Michelle Lyden, Stephanie Schwartz, Melesse Tashu, Curtis Valentine, Rebecca Wright, and Adam
Ziegfeld
2008-2009 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Michael Chege, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Florida, and Advisor, International
Development Policy, Ministry of Planning and Development, Republic of Kenya
Mathews Chikaonda, Group Chief Executive, Press Corporation Ltd (Malawi)
Keli Gadzekpo, Executive Vice-Chairman, Databank (Ghana)
Monde Muyangwa, Academic Dean, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University (Zambia)
Moss Ngoasheng, Executive Chairman of Safika Holdings (Pty) Limited (South Africa)
Nawal Nour, Director, African Women’s Health Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston (the Sudan)
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Interim Director, African Governance Institute, Dakar (the Democratic Republic of the
Congo)
Julie Oyegun, Director, World Bank Group, Diversity Programs (Nigeria)
Rotimi Suberu, Professor of Political Science, Bennington College (Nigeria)
Geraldine Umugwaneza, Deputy Registrar, Eastern African Appeals Court (Rwanda)
Leonard Wantchekon, Professor, Department of Politics, New York University (Benin)