Data source: Bertelsmann Stiftung
The Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) analyzes and evaluates the quality of democracy, a market economy, and political management in 137 developing and transition countries. It measures successes and setbacks on the path toward democracy based on the rule of law and a socially responsible market economy.
In-depth country reports provide the basis for assessing the state of transformation and persistent challenges and for evaluating the ability of policymakers to carry out consistent and targeted reforms. The BTI is the first cross-national comparative index that collects data to comprehensively measure the quality of governance during processes of transition.
When using this dataset, please cite as:
(Donner et al.,
2024)
Browse variables and select them for download.
bti_aar
To what extent can individuals form and join independent political or civic groups? To what extent can these groups operate and assemble freely? From 1 to 10. 1. Association and assembly rights a ...
bti_acp
To what extent does the government successfully contain corruption? From 1 to 10. 1. The government fails to contain corruption, and there are no integrity mechanisms in place. 4. The government ...
bti_aod
How strong is the citizens' approval of democratic norms and procedures? From 1 to 10. 1. Approval of democratic norms and procedures is very low. 4. Approval of democratic norms and procedures ...
bti_ba
To what extent do basic administrative structures exist? From 1 to 10. 1. The administrative structures of the state are limited to keeping the peace and maintaining law and order. Their territori ...
bti_cdi
To what extent are democratic institutions accepted as legitimate by the relevant actors? From 1 to 10. 1. There are no democratic institutions as such (authoritarian regimes). 4. Only individua ...
bti_ci
How serious are social, ethnic, and religious conflicts? From 1 to 10. 1. There are no violent incidents based on social, ethnic, or religious differences. 4. There are only a few violent incid ...
bti_cps
There are institutional or political precautions to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Including 'To what extent does the monetary authority pursue and communicate a consistent monetary stabilizat ...
bti_cr
To what extent are civil rights guaranteed and protected, and to what extent can citizens seek redress for violations of these rights? From 1 to 10. 1. Civil rights are not guaranteed, and are fr ...
bti_csp
To what extent does the political leadership enable the participation of civil society in the political process? From 1 to 10. 1. The political leadership obstructs civil society participation. I ...
bti_cst
To what extent are there traditions of civil society? From 1 to 10. 1. Traditions of civil society are very strong. 4. Traditions of civil society are fairly strong. 7. Traditions of civil so ...
bti_ds
Democracy Status: The state of democracy is measured in terms of five criteria; including stateness, political participation, rule of law, stability of the democratic institutions, and political and s ...
bti_envc
Expert answer to the question "To what extent are environmental concerns effectively taken into account?'' The variable ranges from 1 to 10, where 1 is "Environmental concerns receive no considera ...
bti_eo
To what extent does equality of opportunity exist? From 1 to 10. 1. Equality of opportunity is not achieved. Women and/or members of ethnic or religious groups have only very limited access to ed ...
bti_eos
How does the economy, as measured in quantitative indicators, perform? From 1 to 10. 1. The economic performance is very poor. Strongly negative macroeconomic data may include negative GDP growth ...
bti_ep
Economic Performance: The economy's performance points to solid development. From 1 to 10.
bti_epg
To what extent do democratically elected political representatives have the effective power to govern, or to what extent are there veto powers and political enclaves? From 1 to 10. 1. Political d ...
bti_ffe
To what extent are political representatives determined by general, free and fair elections? From 1 to 10. 1. There are no elections on free and fair elections. 4. General, multi-party election ...
bti_foe
To what extent can citizens, organizations, and the mass media express opinions freely? From 1 to 10. 1. Freedom of expression is denied. Independent media do not exist or are prohibited. 4. Fr ...
bti_gi
Governance Index: It groups the scores of the level of difficulty of management, the steering capacity, the resource efficiency, consensus building, and international cooperation. From 1 to 10. Higher ...
bti_gp
Governance Performance: It groups the scores of the steering capability, resource efficiency, consensus building, and international cooperation. From 1 to 10. Higher scores mean higher governance perf ...
bti_ic
The political leadership is willing and able to cooperate with external supporters and organizations. Including 'To what extent does the political leadership use the support of international partners ...
bti_ig
To what extent is there a network of cooperative associations or interest groups to mediate between society and the political system? From 1 to 10. 1. Interest groups are present only in isolated ...
bti_ij
To what extent does an independent judiciary exist? From 1 to 10. 1. The judiciary is not independent and not institutionally differentiated. 4. The independence of the judiciary is heavily imp ...
bti_lod
Level of Difficulty in Management: it groups the scores of the structural constraints, the civil society traditions and the conflict intensity of a society. From 1 to 10. Higher scores indicate more c ...
bti_mes
Economy Status: It groups the scores of the level of socioeconomic development, the organization of the market and competition, currency and price stability, private property, the welfare regime, econ ...
bti_mo
Organization of the Market and Competition: There are clear rules for stable, market-based competition. From 1 to 10. State-guaranteed rules for market competition with equal opportunities for all ma ...
bti_muf
To what extent does the state's monopoly on the use of force cover the entire territory of the country? From 1 to 10. 1. There is no state monopoly on the use of force. 4. The state's monopoly ...
bti_nird
To what extent are legal order and political institutions defined without interference by religious dogmas? From 1 to 10. 1. The state is theocratic. Religious dogmas define legal order and politi ...
bti_pdi
Are democratic institutions capable of performing? From 1 to 10. 1. There are no democratic institutions as such (authoritarian regimes). 4. Democratic institutions exist but they are unstable ...
bti_poa
To what extent are public officeholders who abuse their positions prosecuted or penalized? From 1 to 10. 1. Office holders who break the law and engage in corruption can do so without fear of leg ...
bti_pp
Political Participation: The populace decides who rules, and it has other political freedoms. From 1 to 10. Higher scores refer to better conditions of political participation and other political free ...
bti_prp
There are adequate conditions to support a functional private sector. Including 'To what extent do government authorities ensure well-defined rights of private property and regulate the acquisition, b ...
bti_ps
To what extent is there a stable and socially rooted party system able to articulate and aggregate societal interests? From 1 to 10. 1. There is no party system to articulate and aggregate societa ...
bti_psi
Political and Social Integration: Stable patterns of representation exist for mediating between society and the state; there is also a consolidated civic culture. From 1 to 10.
bti_rol
Rule of Law: State powers check and balance one another and ensure civil rights. Including 'To what extent is there a working separation of powers (checks and balances)', 'To what extent does an indep ...
bti_sc
Social Capital: To what extent have social self-organization and the construction of social capital advanced? This question aims to assess the level of trust between citizens, which fosters cooperatio ...
bti_sdi
Stability of Democratic Institutions: Democratic institutions are capable of performing, and they are adequately accepted as legitimate. From 1 to 10.
bti_seb
To what extent are significant parts of the population fundamentally excluded from society due to poverty and inequality? From 1 to 10. 1. Poverty and inequality are extensive and structurally ing ...
bti_sel
Socio-Economic Level: In principle, the country's level of development permits an adequate freedom of choice for all citizens. From 1 to 10. Higher scores are present for countries with better socio-e ...
bti_si
To what extent do all relevant groups in society agree about citizenship and accept the nation-state as legitimate? From 1 to 10. 1. The legitimacy of the nation-state is questioned fundamentally. ...
bti_sop
To what extent is there a working separation of powers (checks and balances)? From 1 to 10. 1. There is no separation of powers, neither de jure nor de facto. 4. One branch, generally the execut ...
bti_ssn
To what extent do social safety nets provide compensation for social risks? From 1 to 10. 1. Social safety nets do not exist. Poverty is combated hardly at all, or only ad hoc. 4. Social safety ...
bti_st
Stateness: There is clarity about the nation's existence as a state with adequately established and differentiated power structures From 1 to 10.
bti_su
Economic growth is balanced, environmentally sustainable and future-oriented. Including 'To what extent are environmental concerns effectively taken into account?' and 'To what extent are there solid ...
bti_wr
Welfare Regime: Assesses whether there are available arrangements to compensate for social risks. From 1 to 10. Including 'To what extent do social safety nets provide compensation for social risks?' ...