Indexing local governance performance in Tanzania: Unravelling the practical challenges of data, indicators and indexes

Abstract

Is it possible to create an index that tracks local governance performance, as a tool for civil society, citizens and central governments to hold local government to account and improve local service delivery? For many researchers and practitioners working on improving local governance would be desirable and useful. However, creating an index is a contested and complex process. Indicators of governance and performance are approximations of the concepts they represent and can obscure nuanced understandings of the data on which they are based, and the contexts in which they operate. This article presents action research on the creation of a local governance performance index (LGPI) in Tanzania, which deployed a context-based problem-solving approach. It reflects the necessary trade-offs in index design in order to produce a tool that is locally meaningful, avoids gaming of indicators and drives the process leading to enhanced capability in local governance.