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The process of selecting governance indicators
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system of indicators can only be used to promote pro-poor and gender sensitive democratic governance if it is fully understood by, and if it commands widespread support among a broad range of national stakeholders. For these reasons, it is important to ensure that all key decisions including the choice of indicators and the creation of an appropriate institutional framework for data collection and monitoring, derive from an inclusive and participatory debate. Consequently, this part of the guide provides some guidance on the following areas: » Engaging key stakeholders » I dentifying the priority governance issues » Selecting indicators » T he institutional framework for monitoring indicators
14.1 Engaging key stakeholders The engagement in indicator selection of a broad range of stakeholders including government, civil society, political parties, the media and academia is critical for national ownership, and for securing a commitment to the use of governance indicators. Furthermore, the involvement of CSOs is important to ensure that the voices of marginalised groups in society are reflected in discussions of how to measure democratic governance, as well as in holding government to account. The poverty reduction strategy (PRS) process provides a key entry point for working with a variety of stakeholders in developing governance indicators and monitoring democratic reform. Attempts should be made to build on the stakeholder engagement processes linked to the PRS that already exist, and to integrate democratic governance measurement and monitoring with these systems. For African countries that have acceded to the New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), there already exists a helpful framework for multi-stakeholder consultation around democratic governance issues.24 The APRM is a voluntary compliance mechanism that includes peer review in four core areas, one of which includes ‘democracy and good political governance’. For each of these areas, the various international and regional democracy and human rights standards embodied in treaties and declarations are reduced to a set of indicators by means of which countries will be assessed. The APRM provides for a series of consultations with a range of stakeholders to facilitate the exchange of information and promote national dialogue on what the challenges to democratic governance are and what the appropriate response should be. The APRM provides both a transparency and an accountability mechanism in the area of governance. In countries where a framework for effective multi-stakeholder dialogue does not exist, or is not well established, the situation varies widely. Some countries, particularly