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2009 Methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Global Integrity Index measure?
The Index assesses the existence, effectiveness, and citizen access to key anti-corruption mechanisms at the national level in a country. It does not measure corruption per se or perceptions of corruption. Nor does it measure governance "outputs" — statistics of service delivery, crime, or socio-economic development. Instead, the Index is an entry point for understanding the anti-corruption and good governance safeguards in place in a country that should ideally prevent, deter, or punish corruption.

How does Global Integrity generate the Index?
The Index utilizes a unique methodology based on a quantitative analysis of the existence and effectiveness of anti-corruption and good governance mechanisms. Rather than being a survey that polls households or businesses or aggregates third-party opinion polls, the Index is a compilation of country-specific expert assessments backed up by standardized scoring criteria, sourcing requirements, and a blind peer review process. All data is scored by in-country experts, not Global Integrity staff.

Who are your target audiences?
We target our work at five primary audiences: government policymakers (particularly donor governments and aid recipient governments) seeking to design evidence-based reform programs; grassroots advocates that want to sharpen their message when calling for reform; journalists seeking insight into where corruption is more or less likely to occur in a country; researchers and academics interested in exploring the relationship between anti-corruption safeguards and other variables; and businesses (especially investors focused on emerging markets) seeking to assess risk and opportunity.

What is the difference between the Global Integrity Index and perceptions-based indices such as Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)? How does it differ from the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators?
Unlike perceptions-based indices, the Global Integrity Index is based on original, empirical on-the-ground research, not on third-party data or information. We hire local experts on corruption and governance issues to score the Integrity Indicators and prepare the accompanying qualitative reports in every country we cover. We do not base our scores on pre-existing third-party data or assessments, as do aggregate tools such as the Corruptions Perceptions Index or the World Bank indicators.

So is the Global Integrity Index better than other indices?
We view the Index as complementary to other work, including the various surveys and polls produced by Transparency International; the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators; various political risk assessments; and sector-specific assessments such as the Open Budget Index. We hope that users grasp the need to combine multiple sources of both quantitative and qualitative resources when analyzing governance and corruption issues, which are inherently complex, opaque, and difficult to generalize across countries. While we believe the Global Integrity Index adds value by uniquely assessing anti-corruption safeguards in a quantitative manner, we do not view it as a substitute for other indices or the only resource worth using.

Do governments play a role in the process of developing and "owning" a Global Integrity country report?
In keeping with Global Integrity's commitment to producing independent and unbiased information, governments do not partake in the development or scoring of the Integrity Indicators, nor do we ask permission of government to undertake an assessment in a given country. Nevertheless, governments are among the most important constituents of the Global Integrity Report because the indicators provide government decision-makers with actionable data that, when combined with other resources, can yield a road map for reform. This helps explain why we place such emphasis on ensuring that our information is grounded in a rigorous and fully transparent methodology that governments can trust as unbiased and credible. While we do not seek government "ownership" over the assessments process, we very much seek government "buy-in" to the results.

How many countries will the Global Integrity Report eventually cover?
The Global Integrity Report has covered more than 100 countries since its inauguration in 2004. While we fully expect this number to expand in the coming years, the scope of our coverage is constrained by the resources at our disposal, both financial as well as the availability of well-qualified researchers, journalists, and peer reviewers. In a given year, countries are included or excluded from our study based largely on these constraints. Our goal is to aim for increasingly comprehensive coverage of countries without sacrificing the quality of our work. Beginning in 2009, we also began more systematic coverage of a core group of 70 countries on a biannual basis.

What is the professional background of Global Integrity's peer reviewers and lead researchers?
Each year, in-country teams of experts are recruited from a variety of professional backgrounds. Most peer reviewers are journalists, academic researchers, and development consultants. Lead researchers are typically based in leading local non-governmental organizations, universities, research institutes, and foundations, although some are independent research consultants.

How long does it take Global Integrity to prepare a country assessment?
The actual fieldwork is not terribly long; it generally takes 8-12 weeks for our experts in the field to prepare the raw Reporter's Notebook and Integrity Indicators scorecard. The peer review process and final editing and scoring adjustments constitute another 8 weeks, approximately. Overall, 6 months is a conservative approximation.

Is Global Integrity an advocacy organization?
No. Global Integrity is an independent information provider dedicated to educating the public. We are not a lobbying organization. While we hope that both national and international organizations utilize our data and reporting in their efforts to promote better governance, we do not engage in any overt lobbying efforts.

Who can I contact for further information?
The Global Integrity staff is happy to respond to questions and requests for further information. Please contact us at: info@globalintegrity.org.

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