Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

What is the Chandler Good Government Index?

The Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) is an annual measurement of the capabilities and effectiveness of 113 governments globally, based on 35 unique indicators. It stands as the most comprehensive index of its kind, in the breadth of areas covered and in the range of countries.

What is the purpose of this Index?

The CGGI is crafted by government practitioners, for government practitioners. It distills practical tradecraft and insights from global government leaders and experts. The Index serves as a practical tool for governments to understand, benchmark, and enhance their capabilities and performance.

Where can I view the past year CGGI Reports?

You can access CGGI Reports from previous years here.

How is the information organised within the CGGI?

The CGGI comprises 35 indicators categorised into seven pillars. Explore the framework here.

Can I share links to specific features within the Index?

Yes, you can share links to specific features within the Index with others. Each entry is assigned a unique URL, allowing you to easily share and reference specific content.

Who maintains and administers the CGGI?

The CGGI is maintained and administered by the Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG) – an international non-profit organisation headquartered in Singapore. More information about CIG can be found here.

Are there any usage guidelines or restrictions for using the Index?

For data compiled by parties other than CIG, users must refer to these parties’ terms of use, in particular concerning the attribution, distribution, and reproduction of the data. When data for which the CGGI is the source is distributed or reproduced, it must be presented accurately and in the right context, and be attributed to the CGGI. This source attribution requirement applies to any use of data, whether obtained directly from the CGGI or from other sources.

Can I suggest additions or corrections to the Index?

Yes, we welcome feedback and suggestions for improvements. Please submit your feedback through the provided contact form or email address (info@chandlergovernmentindex.com).

Where can I find accompanying resources to the CGGI?

Our Report, Executive Summary, Technical Annex and Media Releases can be found here.

How can governments use the CGGI?

The CGGI is a diagnostic tool for governments to measure their capabilities and effectiveness, relative to peer governments and over time. In doing so, the CGGI supports governments to have deeper reflections and productive discussions on strengthening their capabilities, and to take a concrete step towards progress. More information on using the CGGI can be found here.

Index Design and Methodology

How is the CGGI different from other Indexes?

Covering 113 countries, the CGGI is the most comprehensive index of its kind, focused on measuring government capabilities and effectiveness.

How do you decide which capabilities are important in the Index?

The CGGI measures 35 indicators across 7 pillars of capabilities and outcomes of governance. Capabilities measured in the CGGI are derived through interviews with government leaders and practitioners, aligned with academic research, and validated by the Index Advisory Panel.

What is the Index coverage period?

The CGGI has data spanning four years since its launch in 2021.

How are outliers or anomalies in the data handled in the Index?

We aim to create an Index that is methodologically robust and sound. CGGI adopts global best practices for treatment of outliers in the data including data transformation and winsorisation. Details of the methodological steps involved are available here.

Why are some countries not covered in the CGGI?

The CGGI encompasses 113 governments globally, representing nearly 90% of the world’s population. Some countries are not part of the CGGI due to insufficient data; we prioritise inclusion of countries with data for at least 90% of our indicators. Continuously, we seek to incorporate new countries as more data emerges.

Explore the complete list of countries covered under the CGGI here.

Has the CGGI methodology been revised since it was first published?

CIG conducts a methodology review every year to determine possible areas for improvement. The latest methodological updates can be found here.

What are the pillars in the CGGI?

The 7 pillars are: Leadership and Foresight, Robust Laws and Policies, Strong Institutions, Financial Stewardship, Attractive Marketplace, Global Influence and Reputation, and Helping People Rise.

More information about the CGGI’s framework can be found here.

What are the data sources for the CGGI?

The Index uses more than 50 publicly available global data sources, the full list of which can be found in the Report section – Behind the Numbers. For detailed methodological information, please download our Technical Annex here.

How do you decide which data sources to use for the CGGI?

The Index uses the most relevant data sources to the indicator being measured. In addition:

  • The metric must be distributed in a free-to-access form in the public domain and online.
  • The metric should as far as possible be actionable and measure some quality or capability of governance that government leaders and officers can act on to improve performance.
  • There must be a robust way to convert the data into a clear and relevant numerical format.
  • The metric must provide data points for large enough range of countries.

I noticed that some rankings and scores for previous years (2021-2023) are different from what was previously published by CIG. Why have these changed?

CIG reviews the CGGI methodology from time to time to ensure it remains relevant. For the 2024 Index release, we have revised the data normalisation procedure to better track countries’ performance across the years, and introduced new metrics for several indicators. To ensure cross-year comparability, CGGI results from 2021 to 2023 were re-calculated accordingly and are available on the CGGI website. For more details, please refer to our Technical Annex.