India, as the current president of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) based in Brussels (Belgium), has proposed the creation of a new International Governance Index.
About The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
- Established: 1930 | Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
- Nature: An independent, international, non-profit organisation engaged in research and training in public administration and governance.
- UN Affiliation: Not formally affiliated but actively collaborates with UN agencies.
- Membership: 31 member countries, 20 national sections, 15 academic research centres.
- India’s Role: Member since 1998, represented by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
- Presidency (2025–2028): India’s election marks the first-ever Indian leadership of IIAS, a historic step in global administrative cooperation.
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The Proposed International Governance Index
- Initiative Launch: Announced during the 100th day of India’s Presidency of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS).
- Collaborating Institutions: The index will be developed by a working group in partnership with the World Bank, OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and UN DESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs).
- Methodology: Will integrate quantitative data with qualitative insights, ensuring balanced regional representation.
- The proposal will feature as a key theme in the IIAS Annual Conference 2026.
Rationale and India’s Critique of Existing Indices
- Perceived Western Bias: India has argued that many global governance indices rely on subjective expert opinions concentrated in Western institutions, leading to a skewed portrayal of developing nations.
- Lack of Transparency: Indices such as the World Governance Indicators (WGI) often fail to disclose data sources, weightages, or scoring methods, limiting reproducibility and accountability.
- Alternative Framework: India seeks to build an evidence-based, balanced framework that recognises diverse political and administrative systems rather than imposing a single model of governance.
- Encouraging Indigenous Research: The EAC-PM’s 2022 paper had called for Indian think tanks to develop home-grown perception-based indices to diversify the global narrative.
About Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)
- Released by: The World Bank, Annually
- Coverage: Ranks around 215 countries and territories across 6 parameters.
- Purpose: Assesses perceptions of governance quality across countries and over time.
- Data Sources: Draws from 30+ credible institutions — think tanks, international bodies, NGOs, and private firms.
- India’s Percentile Ranks (2023):
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- Voice and Accountability – 51.47
- Political Stability – 21.33
- Government Effectiveness – 67.92
- Regulatory Quality – 47.17
- Rule of Law – 56.13
- Control of Corruption – 41.51
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India’s Broader Critique of Global Indices
- V-Dem Report 2025: Ranked India 100 out of 179 countries on the Liberal Democracy Index and labelled it an “electoral autocracy” since 2017.
- Freedom in the World Index (2022): Placed India at levels comparable to the Emergency period of the 1970s.
- EAC-PM Statement (2022): Labeled such indices methodologically flawed and non-transparent, yet highly influential in shaping WGI outcomes and international perception.
- These criticisms collectively underpin India’s push for a new, inclusive governance metric through IIAS.
4 Oct 2025
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