GOVERNMENT EFFECTIVENESS IN EU MEMBER STATES

Government effectiveness is a general indicator providing a summary assessment of the quality of public administration in general depending on its regulatory system, of its impartiality and the quality of the services it provides. The Worldwide Governance Indicators developed by the World Bank summarizes information from 30 existing data sources on views and experiences of citizens, business people and experts in the public, private and NGO sectors. Government effectiveness captures perceptions of the quality of the public service, its degree of independence from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation and the credibility of the government to such policies.

Government effectiveness has a substantial impact on economic development and well-being. Low government effectiveness reduces the trust people have in public authorities, misdirects public services and investments, increases the cost of public projects and private enterprises and reduces the willingness of entrepreneurs and foreign direct investors to set up a new firm. Low government effectiveness disproportionately affects the poor, who depend more on public services and support. Corruption can also lead to higher levels of environmental pollution, by allowing illegal dumping of toxic waste. Low quality also reduces the impact of Cohesion Policy.

Government effectiveness varies substantially between EU Member States and improving government effectiveness is critical for the European Union.

Three distinct groups can be identified:

High Government Effectiveness: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Moderate Government Effectiveness: Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Malta, POrtugal, Slovenia and Spain.

Low Government Effectiveness: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Ranking (based on World Bank Indicators in 2011

  1. Finland
  2. Denmark
  3. Sweden
  4. Austria
  5. Netherlands
  6. Luxembourg
  7. Belgium
  8. United Kingdom
  9. Germany
  10. Cyprus
  11. France
  12. Ireland
  13. Estonia
  14. Malta
  15. Portugal
  16. Slovenia
  17. Czech Republic
  18. Spain
  19. Slovakia
  20. Lithuania
  21. Poland
  22. Latvia
  23. Hungary
  24. Greece
  25. Italy
  26. Bulgaria
  27. Romania

 

 

 

 

 

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