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Bookmark this page: www.oecd.org/dac/governance/govassessment
Over the last decade, the importance of understanding how governance impacts on development has gained prominence and, as a consequence, the scope and volume of assessment tools have flourished. The GOVNET has embarked on an analysis of these tools and their use in an effort to share experience, reduce the risks of duplicating assessments which entail high transaction costs, and promote more coherent collective action in line with the Paris Declaration principles.
An initial survey of donors pointed to the risk of frequent duplication and overlap between governance assessment tools, as well as the need to improve practice with regard to greater reliance on partner country assessment processes. The survey also shed light on why and how donors make their own assessments and on the possibility of harmonising donor approaches to assessing governance. A major GOVNET sponsored international conference was then held in February 2008 in London to initiate a dialogue between donors, partners, and practitioners involved in governance assessments. The conference provided valuable case studies and experience to underpin a set of Guiding Principles.
> Donor Approaches to Governance Assessments: Guiding Principles for Enhanced Impact, Usage and Harmonization (pdf)
These Guiding Principles were developed to respond to many of the issues and concerns raised above, in order to improve donor impact, usage and harmonisation of governance assessment. The principles only cover approaches developed and applied by donor agencies, but they make reference to locally driven governance assessments and assessments based on peer review mechanisms. They are intended to provide practical advice to governance specialists in donor agencies working on assessments and to donor agency staff working in other sectors who encounter the realities of governance in their work every day. A diverse range of partner country stakeholders involved in assessing governance may also find these principles of value.
> Sourcebook on Donor Approaches to Governance Assessments (pdf)
The Sourcebook is a complement to the Principles and is intended to help practitioners navigate the universe of tools and methodologies available in this field. It will be maintained virtually as a living resource on the GOVNET site. It is a compilation of existing donor methodologies and includes links to other related sources.
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