The Berggruen Governance Index (BGI), a collaboration between the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, analyzes the relationship between democratic accountability, state capacity and public goods provision to develop a deeper understanding of how governments can create a more resilient future for their people.
We ask: why do some countries perform badly in delivering healthcare, providing a clean environment and social security, or delivering some other public good to their populations even when they have the resources to do so, while others seemingly fare better? Does the capacity of states to provide the basics
for societies to thrive depend on democratic accountability that represents different interests, or are systems under technocratic control that impose solutions and disregard, even suppress, many voices better? Can we necessarily assume that democratic accountability makes for better governance performance, or is it state capacity alone that makes the difference? Does a seemingly “apolitical” technocratic approach to governance lead to better outcomes than a system of contestation and democratic decision-making? Questions such as these are at the core of what the BGI is about and the new understanding of governance that underlies it.
We argue that employing state capacity necessitates information about prevailing needs and the ability to set priorities. In other words, systems of voice and accountability connect state capacity to public goods provision. We combine these three dimensions in our understanding of governance: public goods provision is a function of state capacity and accountability. Thus, the BGI reports on variations in public goods provision across countries and over time based on variations in state capacity and forms of accountability.
Take a closer look
Read and download the Executive Summary, Full Report and Case Studies from the 2022 Berggruen Governance Index.
Download and read our latest report on the UK’s 2024 Election: Fiscal Austerity, Economic Stagnation, and Public Scandal
An open-access issue of Global Policy showcases the Berggreun Governance Index. Read Advancing Governance Research: The Quest for a New Generation of Indicators.
