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Choosing and Using Measures of Governance

Abstract:
 
The vexing problem of measuring the quality of government has parallels in many applied sciences. The choice of measures depends on classical statistical questions of reliability and validity. It also depends on the potential uses of the measures. We will discuss four dimensions of the choice: resource allocation, incentive effects, "representation" of groups, and "fundraising effects." An example (allocating aid) shows that econometric tools can help us qualitatively with this choice, but the richness of the decision problem outstrips the data and tools.
 
About the speaker:
 
Robert Klitgaard is a University Professor at Claremont Graduate University, where he served as President from 2005 to 2009. He has been Dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, Lester Crown Professor of Economics at Yale’s School of Management, and Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. His eight books include High-Performance Government: Structure, Leadership, Incentives (RAND, 2005) (edited with Paul C. Light).