How Rule of Law and Government Effectiveness Rise and Fall Together

Two of the most revealing measures on World Scorecard are the rule of law and government effectiveness indices. Rule of law reflects confidence in the judicial system, enforcement of contracts and property rights, and the quality of policing. Government effectiveness measures the quality of public services, the independence of the civil service from political pressure and how well policies are designed and carried out. Both scores use a scale from –2.5 (weak) to 2.5 (strong).

Across nearly three decades of data (1996–2023), these indicators move in close tandem. Every year the correlation exceeds 0.92, meaning countries that perform well on the rule‑of‑law index almost always perform well on government effectiveness, and vice versa. Yet the global average hovers around –0.03, so many countries remain below the worldwide benchmark.

High‑scoring countries

  • 2023: Singapore: Rule of law 1.75, Government effectiveness 2.32
  • 2023: United Arab Emirates – Rule of law 0.88, Government effectiveness 1.60

Relative over‑performers

  • 2023: China: Rule of law –0.04, Government effectiveness 0.68
  • 2023: Indonesia: Rule of law –0.15, Government effectiveness 0.58

Countries with service‑delivery challenges

  • 2023: Tuvalu: Rule of law 1.01, Government effectiveness –0.45
  • 2023: Kiribati: Rule of law 0.59, Government effectiveness –0.10
  • 2023: Haiti: Rule of law –1.36, Government effectiveness –2.23

These examples highlight how some countries’ administrative capacity exceeds or lags behind the quality of their legal frameworks.

Why the relationship matters

The persistent link between rule of law and government effectiveness suggests that strong legal institutions and capable public administrations often develop together. Countries where scores diverge offer lessons: targeted improvements in public services can raise effectiveness even when legal systems are still maturing, while legal reforms alone may not lead to better outcomes if administrative capacity is limited.

Readers and policymakers can explore country‑specific details via World Scorecard’s rule‑of‑law and government‑effectiveness ranking pages. Understanding how these indicators interact helps clarify why some countries manage to deliver consistent results while others struggle.

Sources

Explore the Rankings: Rule of Law & Government Effectiveness

Dive deeper into the data. View the complete Rule of Law rankings and Government Effectivenenes rankings for all countries.

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