The Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG) is an international non-profit organisation that works with governments around the world to build effective and accountable governments, institutions and policies. CIG promotes good governance on the principle that good governance “leads to better outcomes and increased public trust”. Central to its work are two beliefs:  

“First, that good government plays a deciding factor in whether nations succeed; and second, that good government is built on capabilities. These capabilities are not tethered to any particular ideology or political party, but are instead anchored in concrete skills, systems, and processes which can be tracked, learned, and, with the right investments of time and resources, meaningfully — and measurably — improved.” - The Patient Journey of Good Governance by Wu Wei Neng, Christopher Wong, and Dominic Tan Gabriel-Dean.

The Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) measures the capabilities and effectiveness of 113 governments. Country rankings are based on 35 unique indicators, which make up Chandler’s “Pillars of Good Governance”. Here are the Pillars:

Seven Middle East countries were included in Chandler’s 2024 Good Governance Index. They were: United Arab Emirates (14), Israel (28), Saudi Arabia (38), Jordan (64), Turkey (70), Iran (107) and Lebanon (112). The numbers in parentheses are their ranks, out of 113 countries total.

How does this information help lay the groundwork for an Israel-Palestinian Peace Plan? 

Good governance is associated with trust and confidence in public institutions, life satisfaction, lower poverty, and national resilience after crisis (Helliwell, Huang, et al, 2018: Jindra & Vaz, 2019). I want a peace plan that maximizes the wellbeing of people and countries on both sides of the conflict and for that to happen, a peace plan should seek to bolster good governance in both Israel and Palestine. Of course, good governance by itself can’t guarantee general happiness, public safety or economic prosperity – but it increases their likelihood.

References:

Helliwell, J. F., H. Huang, et al. (2018). "Empirical linkages between good governance and national well-being." Journal of Comparative Economics 46(4): 1332-1346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2018.01.004 

Jindra C, Vaz A. Good governance and multidimensional poverty: A comparative analysis of 71 countries. Governance. 2019; 32: 657–675. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12394