EDITORIAL - Middling in governance

As COVID-19 raged worldwide, Singapore-based non-profit organization Chandler Institute of Governance launched last year a comparative study of 104 countries’ quality of governance, including performance in dealing with the pandemic.

In 2021, the Philippines ranked 59th in the Chandler Good Government Index. This year the country slipped to 63rd place overall, and to fifth place from last year’s third among lower-middle income states.

The reason for the slip can be gleaned from the 50 open data sources used as metrics for the rankings. According to Chandler, emphasis was given this year to the rule of law, anti-corruption, property rights and the ability to respond to the pandemic.

The index measures good governance based on seven pillars: leadership and foresight, robust laws and policies, strong institutions, financial stewardship, attractive marketplace, global influence and reputation, and helping people rise. Each pillar has a set of indicators to measure a government’s performance.

This year, the Philippines ranked 56th in leadership and foresight, 63rd in robust laws and policies, 52nd for strong institutions, 39th in financial stewardship, 61st for attractive market-place, 69th in global influence and reputation and 71st in helping people rise. The country ranked best in one indicator of helping people rise: 10th overall in narrowing the gender gap.

The rankings reflected similar studies conducted by other groups on good governance, transparency and happiness based on the quality of life, with the same countries ranking at the top. In the Chandler index, the best performers were Finland, Switzerland, Singapore, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

It is no coincidence that countries that rank high on good governance are also among the most prosperous. The latest index reaffirms similar studies in the past years, and should remind Filipinos about the importance of choosing the right leaders in the coming elections.