The Quiet Power of Indicators: Measuring Governance, Corruption, and Rule of Law (Cambridge Studies in Law and Society)

Using A Power-knowledge Framework, This Volume Critically Investigates How Major Global Indicators Of Legal Governance Are Produced, Disseminated And Used, And To What Effect. Original Case Studies Include Freedom House's Freedom In The World Indicator, The Global Reporting Initiative's Structure For Measuring And Reporting On Corporate Social Responsibility, The World Justice Project's Measurement Of The Rule Of Law, The World Bank's Doing Business Index, The World Bank-supported Worldwide Governance Indicators, The World Bank's Country Performance Institutional Assessment (cpia), And The Transparency International Corruption (perceptions) Index. Also Examined Is The Use Of Performance Indicators By The European Union For Accession Countries And By The Us Millennium Challenge Corporation In Allocating Us Aid Funds-- Machine Generated Contents Note: Introduction: The Local-global Life Of Indicators: Law, Power And Resistance Kevin Davis, Benedict Kingsbury And Sally Engle Merry; Part I. Global Indicators Of Governance, Corruption, And Rule Of Law: 1. International Organizations And The Production Of Indicators: The Case Of Freedom House Christopher G. Bradley; 2. Indicators And The Law: A Case Study Of The Rule Of Law Index René Urueña; 3. Measuring Corporate Accountability Through Global Indicators Galit A. Sarfaty; 4. The Quest For Measuring Development: The Role Of The Indicator Bank Mari;a Ange;lica Prada Uribe; 5. Qualitative And Quantitative Conditionality: Accountability In The Eu Accession And Mcc Processes Nikhil Dutta; Part Ii. Indicators In Local Contexts: 6. Rule Of Law Indicators As A Political Technology Of Power In Romania Mihaela Serban; 7. Indicators, Global Expertise, And A Local Political Drama: Producing And Deploying Corruption Perception Data In Postsocialist Albania Smoki Musaraj; 8. Evaluating The Impact Of Corruption (perception) Indicators On Governance Discourses In Kenya Migai Akech; 9. Measuring Labour Market Efficiency: Indicators That Fuel An Ideological War And Undermine Social Concern And Trust In The South African Regulatory Process Debbie Collier And Paul Benjamin; Conclusion: Contesting Global Indicators David Nelken. Edited By Sally Engle Merry, Kevin E. Davis, Benedict Kingsbury. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Series Page 4 Title Page 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Notes on Contributors 10 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction: The Local-Global Life of Indicators: Law, Power, and Resistance • Kevin E. Davis, Benedict Kingsbury, and Sally Engle Merry 16 Part I: Global Indicators of Governance, Corruption, and Rule of Law 40 1 International Organizations and the Production of Indicators: The Case of Freedom House • Christopher G. Bradley 40 2 Indicators and the Law: A Case Study of the Rule of Law Index • René Urueña 88 3 Measuring Corporate Accountability through Global Indicators • Galit A. Sarfaty 116 4 The Quest for Measuring Development: The Role of the Indicator Bank • María Angélica Prada Uribe 146 5 Tradeoffs in Accountability: Conditionality Processes in the European Union and Millennium Challenge Corporation • Nikhil K. Dutta 169 Part II: Indicators in Local Contexts 210 6 Rule of Law Indicators as a Technology of Power in Romania • Mihaela Serban 212 7 Indicators, Global Expertise, and a Local Political Drama: Producing and Deploying Corruption Perception Data in Post-Socialist Albania • Smoki Musaraj 235 8 Evaluating the Impact of Corruption Indicators on Governance Discourses in Kenya • Migai Akech 261 9 Measuring Labor Market Effi ciency: Indicators that Fuel an Ideological War and Undermine Social Concern and Trust in the South African Regulatory Process • Debbie Collier and Paul Benjamin 297 10 Conclusion: Contesting Global Indicators • David Nelken 330 Index 352 This highly accessible volume investigates the rankings that increasingly define perceptions of countries' rule of law, governance, corruption, freedom, and democracy. Special attention is given to viewpoints in countries impacted by rankings, with authors from Romania, Albania, Colombia, Kenya and South Africa, as well as the US and the UK.