Publication date:
23 February 2012Length of book:
774 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442212619
Countries at the Crossroads: An Analysis of Democratic Governance evaluates government performance in seventy strategically important countries from across the globe, including emerging market countries and at-risk states. The in-depth comparative analyses and quantitative ratings—examining Accountability and Public Voice, Civil Liberties, Rule of Law, and Anticorruption and Transparency—serve as a valuable tool for public analysts, educators and students, government officials, and the business community.
This valuable reference is an annual publication from Freedom House, a watchdog organization that monitors countries' political freedom and human rights progress. It supplies information on countries that are 'at a critical turning point' in their political development. The publication analyzes different sets of countries in even and odd years. The 2010 edition furnishes information about 32 countries. Making comparisons between the different editions is easy because they use similar rankings, and the country articles follow a uniform format (for the 2006 report, see CH, Apr'07, 44-4207). Freedom House authors take surveys to assess factors such as accountability and public voice, civil liberties, rule of law, and anticorruption and transparency. Numerical scales range from one to seven, with seven being the highest score. The rankings are presented in well-organized tables. Report authors follow prescribed guidelines to write corresponding narratives and recommendations. They present evidence showing general decreases in political freedom in the countries covered....This illuminating reference will be useful for both undergraduate and graduate collections. Summing Up: Recommended.