HANDBOOK ON GOVERNANCE STATISTICS

The Handbook on Governance Statistics, developed by the Praia Group, establishes a framework for measuring governance through eight dimensions: non-discrimination and equality, participation, openness, access to and quality of justice, responsiveness, absence of corruption, trust, and safety and security. It emphasizes a Human Rights-Based Approach to Data (HRBAD) and advocates for the use of triangulated data sources, including administrative records, household surveys, and expert assessments. The document provides specific recommended indicators, many aligned with SDG 16, and offers technical guidance on mitigating biases in subjective measurements of trust, responsiveness, and corruption.

• The Handbook conceptualizes governance through eight distinct dimensions: non-discrimination and equality, participation, openness, access to and quality of justice, responsiveness, absence of corruption, trust, and safety and security.
• A Human Rights-Based Approach to Data (HRBAD) is recommended to ensure that data collection is inclusive and protects the rights of marginalized groups, focusing on principles of participation, disaggregation, self-identification, transparency, privacy, and accountability.
• Governance statistics are often not produced routinely at the national level and are frequently left to international or non-public institutions, despite the methodological expertise and sustainability advantages of National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
• The document advocates for the triangulation of five conventional data sources: household surveys, business surveys, other targeted surveys, censuses, and administrative records, while also exploring 'big data' and experimental sources.
• In the dimension of non-discrimination and equality, the Handbook distinguishes between direct discrimination (treating someone less favourably based on a prohibited ground) and indirect discrimination (neutral laws or practices that have a discriminatory effect).
• Participation in political and public affairs is measured across several sub-dimensions, including electoral processes, association in political parties, representation in political office, representation in judicial bodies, and representation in public service.
• Government openness is defined by two main components: transparency (disclosure and accessibility of information) and accountability (the duty to inform citizens and provide accounts of performance).
• Access to justice is conceptualized as the ability of people to defend and enforce their rights and obtain just resolution of legal problems, encompassing both criminal and civil justice spheres.
• Responsiveness is measured through 'system responsiveness' (the belief that people have a say in government actions) and satisfaction with key public services, specifically health and education.
• The measurement of corruption is challenging due to its clandestine nature and the 'dark figure' of unreported crimes; the Handbook recommends triangulating intolerance to corruption, actual corrupt practices, and State responses.
• Trust is categorized into institutional trust (trust in public bodies like parliament or the police) and interpersonal trust (trust in other people), with the latter serving as a proxy for social capital.
• Safety and security are measured by tracking actual levels of crime, conflict-related deaths, and the quality of law enforcement and criminal justice institutions.
• The Handbook recommends the use of the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS) to ensure the consistency and international comparability of crime and justice statistics.

APA

Peace Research Institute Oslo (n.d.). HANDBOOK ON GOVERNANCE STATISTICS. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8e926fb4-4f2d-4c48-8ce5-a8b07024caa6/handbook_governance_statistics.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Peace Research Institute Oslo. HANDBOOK ON GOVERNANCE STATISTICS. n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8e926fb4-4f2d-4c48-8ce5-a8b07024caa6/handbook_governance_statistics.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Peace Research Institute Oslo |title=HANDBOOK ON GOVERNANCE STATISTICS |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8e926fb4-4f2d-4c48-8ce5-a8b07024caa6/handbook_governance_statistics.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peaceresearchinstituteoslondhandbook, author = {{Peace Research Institute Oslo}}, title = {{HANDBOOK ON GOVERNANCE STATISTICS}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8e926fb4-4f2d-4c48-8ce5-a8b07024caa6/handbook_governance_statistics.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }