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Proposing new datasets
It was proposed in the working paper Towards Better Measurement of Government to establish the reputation of "Government at a Glance" so that inclusion of a dataset is a badge of honour. This requires establishing a clear data quality threshold for inclusion, ensuring consistency in the units of analysis, maximising opportunities for others to propose data, and encouraging particular collection efforts to cover key data gaps. Governments, research bodies and academic networks may propose datasets to be included in "Government at a Glance" by sending us the attached form: Proposal for inclusion of a dataset within "Government at a Glance".
Composite indicators
There are some narrowly defined areas where, at least in principle, composite indicators could be considered for "Government at a Glance". However, in each case the risks would need to be evaluated very carefully.
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At the sub-sector level, there are some experimental steps towards the development of efficiency measures and, in time, composite measures could be considered with caution in specific areas of service delivery (secondary education etc.).
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The purposes of individual agencies are generally too diverse to allow a single framework for evaluation between countries. However, it is conceivable that composite indicators could be useful to compare aspects of performance for some carefully selected agencies that have very similar and very well-defined roles (audit bodies etc.) and where there is some consensus on their outputs or intended outcomes.
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The most likely area for development of composite indicators is in narrowly-defined categories of public sector processes (degree of openness of human resource management arrangements to lateral entrants, degree of consultation in preparing regulations, etc.) or in equally narrow categories of output (quality of regulations in a particular sub-sector, etc.).
The appropriate risk mitigation strategy would be to ensure that each composite indicator complies with pre-defined criteria.
Proposal for inclusion of composite indicators in "Government at a Glance" sets out a framework for a report, which could be reviewed within the OECD GOV Directorate prior to the acceptance of a composite indicator, and which would be available to the relevant expert committee or, on request, to readers of "Government at a Glance".
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