Greece makes strides in good governance index

Athens: An annual report that tracks good governance has found that Greece has improved the most internationally since the index was launched in 2021 but still remains a laggard when it comes to financial stewardship.

Published by the Chandler Institute of Governance, the fourth annual Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) report and country rankings said that Greece’s “overall index score has improved more than any other country worldwide.”

The CGGI measures the government capabilities and effectiveness of 113 countries, representing over 90% of the world’s population.

It added that Greece’s ranking on the index has risen from 50th to 41st place, which “is the biggest improvement in Europe and the second biggest jump globally.”

The report’s authors said Greece’s performance “consolidates its position as a strong European nation after a long battle with the economic crisis at the national level.”

They said Greece’s rise in the rankings is due to significant advances in two other index pillars since 2021. In the “Attractive Marketplace” pillar, Greece climbed from 101st to 75th place and “Leadership and Foresight” pillar from 89th to 40th place.

Greece’s other rankings are “Global influence and reputation” (15th), “Helping people rise” (33rd), “Strong institutions” (36th), “Robust laws and policies” (43rd) and “Financial stewardship” (99th).

Greece also made notable progress in a number of indicators, including “Logistics competence”, “Quality of judiciary” and “Nation brand.”

Singapore topped the CGGI rankings globally, while EU best performers were Denmark (2nd place), Finland (3rd), Sweden, Luxembourg, Germany, Holland and Ireland (6th to 10th places, respectively).

The 2024 CGGI reveals that the Russian state is in free-fall as the government struggles under the strains of the war against Ukraine, while more broadly the rankings have produced some significant movements that reinforce emerging global trends, most worryingly for those working in the development space, that the performance gap, or “governance gap.” between the better performing states and those which are weaker, appears to be widening.