Limited Government Powers

In a society governed by the rule of law, the government and its officials and agents are subject to and held accountable under the law. Modern societies have developed systems of checks and balances, both constitutional and institutional, to limit the reach of excessive government power, and to subject the government power, or ruler, to legal restraints. These checks and balances take many forms in various countries around the world: they do not operate solely in systems marked by a formal separation of powers, nor are they necessarily codified in law. What is essential, however, is that authority is distributed in a manner that ensures that no single organ of government has the practical ability to exercise unchecked power. It consists of 61 variables combined to form the following seven sub-factors:

Subfactors

1.1 Government powers are defined in the fundamental law
1.2 Government powers are effectively limited by the legislature
1.3 Government powers are effectively limited by the judiciary
1.4 Government powers are effectively limited by independent auditing and review
1.5 Government officials are sanctioned for misconduct
1.6 Government powers are subject to non-governmental checks
1.7 Transition of power is subject to the law

Index Factor Information and Rankings

Country Region Income Group 1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
Albania Eastern Europe & Central Asia Lower middle income 0.46 0.57 0.34 0.37 0.34 0.61 0.52
Argentina Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.46 0.50 0.39 0.44 0.26 0.54 0.63
Australia East Asia & Pacific High income 0.88 0.91 0.88 0.85 0.81 0.88 0.97
Austria Western Europe & North America High income 0.82 0.88 0.80 0.70 0.69 0.90 0.97
Bangladesh South Asia Low income 0.40 0.52 0.41 0.39 0.26 0.42 0.41
Belarus Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.34 0.28 0.26 0.41 0.49 0.25 0.32
Belgium Western Europe & North America High income 0.78 0.83 0.72 0.81 0.74 0.76 0.82
Bolivia Latin America & Caribbean Lower middle income 0.38 0.37 0.25 0.38 0.36 0.41 0.49
Bosnia and Herzegovina Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.55 0.65 0.51 0.53 0.39 0.55 0.63
Botswana Sub-Saharan Africa Upper middle income 0.73 0.76 0.79 0.59 0.70 0.76 0.80
Brazil Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.62 0.73 0.62 0.46 0.38 0.73 0.81
Bulgaria Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.51 0.51 0.41 0.46 0.34 0.68 0.68
Burkina Faso Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.43 0.40 0.41 0.39 0.36 0.50 0.53
Cambodia East Asia & Pacific Low income 0.34 0.43 0.26 0.24 0.37 0.36 0.38
Cameroon Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income 0.31 0.24 0.27 0.44 0.38 0.36 0.16
Canada Western Europe & North America High income 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.81 0.71 0.76 0.85
Chile Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.74 0.78 0.66 0.76 0.59 0.74 0.89
China East Asia & Pacific Upper middle income 0.36 0.65 0.45 0.35 0.37 0.11 0.25
Colombia Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.55 0.61 0.49 0.46 0.44 0.61 0.66
Cote dIvoire Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income 0.43 0.46 0.35 0.41 0.41 0.45 0.48
Croatia Eastern Europe & Central Asia High income 0.61 0.67 0.49 0.56 0.48 0.68 0.79
Czech Republic Eastern Europe & Central Asia High income 0.71 0.79 0.68 0.69 0.53 0.74 0.84
Denmark Western Europe & North America High income 0.93 0.91 0.92 0.94 0.89 0.95 0.96
Dominican Republic Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.53 0.61 0.43 0.39 0.37 0.72 0.66
Ecuador Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.41 0.40 0.28 0.38 0.34 0.51 0.53
Egypt Middle East & North Africa Lower middle income 0.58 0.66 0.64 0.53 0.49 0.60 0.53
El Salvador Latin America & Caribbean Lower middle income 0.50 0.69 0.43 0.30 0.28 0.63 0.63
Estonia Eastern Europe & Central Asia High income 0.79 0.77 0.81 0.78 0.78 0.77 0.87
Ethiopia Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.36 0.41 0.34 0.39 0.49 0.25 0.28
Finland Western Europe & North America High income 0.89 0.88 0.87 0.91 0.87 0.88 0.94
France Western Europe & North America High income 0.80 0.81 0.75 0.70 0.71 0.83 0.98
Georgia Eastern Europe & Central Asia Lower middle income 0.48 0.49 0.38 0.43 0.59 0.58 0.44
Germany Western Europe & North America High income 0.82 0.86 0.82 0.76 0.76 0.80 0.92
Ghana Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.72 0.84 0.70 0.52 0.55 0.85 0.88
Greece Western Europe & North America High income 0.64 0.66 0.58 0.58 0.44 0.73 0.86
Guatemala Latin America & Caribbean Lower middle income 0.52 0.61 0.43 0.42 0.26 0.66 0.76
Hong Kong SAR, China East Asia & Pacific High income 0.73 0.89 0.82 0.74 0.76 0.50 0.64
Hungary Eastern Europe & Central Asia High income 0.63 0.59 0.64 0.42 0.57 0.71 0.83
India South Asia Lower middle income 0.61 0.71 0.67 0.49 0.36 0.72 0.71
Indonesia East Asia & Pacific Lower middle income 0.64 0.74 0.54 0.57 0.59 0.73 0.68
Iran Middle East & North Africa Upper middle income 0.37 0.49 0.48 0.32 0.29 0.31 0.33
Italy Western Europe & North America High income 0.67 0.73 0.67 0.64 0.54 0.70 0.75
Jamaica Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.60 0.67 0.65 0.52 0.40 0.63 0.72
Japan East Asia & Pacific High income 0.80 0.89 0.84 0.64 0.79 0.84 0.81
Jordan Middle East & North Africa Upper middle income 0.55 0.62 0.61 0.65 0.58 0.49 0.34
Kazakhstan Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.35 0.36 0.31 0.33 0.37 0.35 0.35
Kenya Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.45 0.56 0.39 0.36 0.34 0.60 0.43
Kyrgyzstan Eastern Europe & Central Asia Low income 0.44 0.58 0.30 0.29 0.31 0.57 0.56
Lebanon Middle East & North Africa Upper middle income 0.57 0.74 0.47 0.45 0.43 0.76 0.56
Liberia Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.53 0.73 0.49 0.25 0.32 0.69 0.71
Macedonia Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.52 0.51 0.40 0.56 0.43 0.52 0.69
Madagascar Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.45 0.50 0.41 0.45 0.44 0.47 0.45
Malawi Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.49 0.53 0.51 0.43 0.44 0.49 0.51
Malaysia East Asia & Pacific Upper middle income 0.57 0.69 0.59 0.56 0.58 0.40 0.59
Mexico Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.55 0.72 0.49 0.49 0.29 0.63 0.68
Moldova Eastern Europe & Central Asia Lower middle income 0.43 0.53 0.34 0.42 0.29 0.50 0.53
Mongolia East Asia & Pacific Lower middle income 0.50 0.62 0.42 0.35 0.38 0.62 0.61
Morocco Middle East & North Africa Lower middle income 0.57 0.67 0.53 0.42 0.49 0.55 0.77
Nepal South Asia Low income 0.51 0.60 0.55 0.35 0.32 0.60 0.61
Netherlands Western Europe & North America High income 0.86 0.87 0.84 0.86 0.77 0.90 0.91
New Zealand East Asia & Pacific High income 0.87 0.91 0.91 0.80 0.80 0.88 0.90
Nicaragua Latin America & Caribbean Lower middle income 0.31 0.38 0.24 0.24 0.19 0.50 0.30
Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income 0.45 0.62 0.49 0.24 0.32 0.55 0.48
Norway Western Europe & North America High income 0.90 0.92 0.91 0.84 0.89 0.90 0.93
Pakistan South Asia Lower middle income 0.46 0.55 0.52 0.31 0.30 0.58 0.50
Panama Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.45 0.37 0.31 0.43 0.27 0.57 0.77
Peru Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.64 0.72 0.49 0.62 0.38 0.76 0.85
Philippines East Asia & Pacific Lower middle income 0.56 0.76 0.54 0.51 0.43 0.69 0.46
Poland Eastern Europe & Central Asia High income 0.78 0.83 0.72 0.75 0.61 0.84 0.96
Portugal Western Europe & North America High income 0.71 0.76 0.65 0.66 0.56 0.75 0.90
Republic of Korea East Asia & Pacific High income 0.66 0.54 0.55 0.67 0.60 0.71 0.90
Romania Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.58 0.59 0.51 0.50 0.47 0.69 0.72
Russia Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.31 0.32 0.27 0.33 0.29 0.33 0.34
Senegal Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income 0.57 0.51 0.44 0.62 0.51 0.65 0.72
Serbia Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.48 0.55 0.31 0.45 0.31 0.57 0.69
Sierra Leone Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.55 0.67 0.44 0.45 0.45 0.67 0.63
Singapore East Asia & Pacific High income 0.73 0.65 0.70 0.88 0.82 0.51 0.82
Slovenia Eastern Europe & Central Asia High income 0.64 0.71 0.54 0.66 0.49 0.68 0.77
South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Upper middle income 0.62 0.72 0.63 0.53 0.43 0.70 0.73
Spain Western Europe & North America High income 0.75 0.80 0.74 0.60 0.58 0.85 0.95
Sri Lanka South Asia Lower middle income 0.56 0.60 0.59 0.50 0.48 0.63 0.58
Sweden Western Europe & North America High income 0.92 0.89 0.88 0.93 0.88 0.94 0.99
Tanzania Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.55 0.66 0.50 0.46 0.50 0.59 0.56
Thailand East Asia & Pacific Upper middle income 0.53 0.67 0.49 0.46 0.48 0.66 0.45
Tunisia Middle East & North Africa Upper middle income 0.58 0.68 0.55 0.51 0.50 0.60 0.61
Turkey Eastern Europe & Central Asia Upper middle income 0.47 0.52 0.46 0.39 0.45 0.43 0.60
Uganda Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.43 0.46 0.48 0.36 0.44 0.47 0.39
Ukraine Eastern Europe & Central Asia Lower middle income 0.36 0.41 0.23 0.25 0.25 0.52 0.51
United Arab Emirates Middle East & North Africa High income 0.55 0.50 0.61 0.63 0.72 0.32 0.54
United Kingdom Western Europe & North America High income 0.79 0.80 0.76 0.79 0.74 0.77 0.85
United States Western Europe & North America High income 0.77 0.88 0.76 0.75 0.66 0.80 0.77
Uruguay Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.70 0.72 0.68 0.54 0.64 0.74 0.91
Uzbekistan Eastern Europe & Central Asia Lower middle income 0.24 0.05 0.19 0.32 0.36 0.13 0.37
Venezuela Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income 0.25 0.29 0.23 0.14 0.14 0.40 0.30
Vietnam East Asia & Pacific Lower middle income 0.40 0.33 0.28 0.47 0.58 0.27 0.50
Zambia Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income 0.51 0.53 0.35 0.62 0.52 0.37 0.64
Zimbabwe Sub-Saharan Africa Low income 0.25 0.36 0.29 0.22 0.36 0.13 0.14