Quality of Government in EU Member States and regions - part 1

This report has analysed a wide range of governance indicators and shows that a significant number of EU Member States score poorly on all of these indicators. Poor governance undermines social and economic development and can reduce the impact of Cohesion Policy. For example, poor governance can hinder economic growth, damage the environment or reduce personal safety and well-being. The report concludes that four issues are particularly relevant for the EU: 1) corruption, 2) rule of law, 3) government effectiveness and 4) voice and accountability. This study is the first to measure the quality of government in the EU at the regional level. It is based on the largest multi-country, regional quality of government survey to date. This survey shows that several Member States are confronted with a large internal variation in the perceptions of quality of government. The report concludes with ten case studies which provide insight into how regional quality of government can be enhanced. This study was financed by the European Commission. Nevertheless, the study represents solely the views of its authors and cannot in any circumstances be regarded as the official position of the Commission.