Measuring Public Integrity

This article critically considers measurement tools that have emerged to quantify the quality of governance, in particular, those measuring corruption. It argues that the inherent limitations of these measures, and the emerging phase of the corruption debate towards action, require a new approach. The Public Integrity Index—an independent, in-country expert assessment using investigative journalists and expert social scientist to quantify the capacity of a state's national governance framework to prevent corruption—is critically considered against a checklist of key factors that underpin sound measurement tools.