Methodology

In close co-operation with the European Commission, SIGMA monitors public administration reform through a set of standard indicators based on the Principles of Public Administration. The Methodological Framework measures both the preconditions for a good public administration (good laws, policies, structures, and procedures) and how an administration performs in practice, including implementing reforms and subsequent outcomes. Find out more by exploring the framework below.

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Principles of Public Administration set out what good public governance entails in practice and outline the main requirements to be followed by administrations during the European Union integration process. Good public governance is key for achieving economic growth, competitiveness and better quality of life. Democratic governance and the rule of law require capable, accountable and effective public administrations.
: Given the geostrategic importance of the Western Balkans to the European Union, and the ongoing accession negotiations, SIGMA (Support for Improvement in Governance and Management) conducts regular monitoring of the region. In 2017, SIGMA established a baseline in all areas of public administration. In 2019, monitoring was conducted against selected Principles. The full scope was covered again in the 2021 reports, which compare performance against the 2017 baseline and regional averages. By analysing the long-term perspective, significant changes are identified.
: The main quantitative and qualitative methods applied in the framework are:
Desk reviews of legislation, regulations, reports
Interviews
Review of cases and samples of government documentation
Observations of practice and on-site verification
Analysis of administrative data from public registries and national statistics
Surveys of the population and businesses through the Balkan Barometer
Surveys of contracting authorities across the region
Data is collected through SIGMA’s tool for data collection, analysis and validation (PAR.IS). More than 10 000 documents are received regionally for analysis. Hundreds of government officials are given direct access to SIGMA’s detailed working sheets for the calculation of numerical sub-indicator values and justifications for the fulfilment of each of the criteria, in addition to fact-checking the draft monitoring reports.
: Data for the Western Balkans region is systematically updated every four years, but part of the data set is updated every two years. SIGMA is transitioning towards establishing annual data releases for a selection of sub-indicators.
: In its 2018 Enlargement Strategy, the European Commission highlighted public administration reform as one of three “fundamentals first” areas of the European Union enlargement process: “Addressing reforms in the area of rule of law, fundamental rights and good governance remains the most pressing issue for the Western Balkans. It is also the key benchmark against which the prospects of these countries will be judged by the EU”.
: The indicator values express the level of administrative capacity and overall performance of national public administrations to effectively implement the European Union (EU) acquis and participate in EU policy-making processes. The point allocation is constructed so that an administration can only receive an overall value of 2 on the basis of the quality of its legislative and regulatory framework; a value of 3 cannot be achieved without showing that implementation of key processes is happening in practice; and in order to obtain a value of 4, the administration needs to show a consistent achievement of relevant outcomes. The value of 5 is reserved for outstanding performance and full compliance with the Principles of Public Administration and the standards for good public governance.

Principles of Public Administration

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Methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

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