BREAKING THE VICIOUS CYCLE: GENDER EMPOWERMENT, POLITICAL STABILITY, AND ANTI-CORRUPTION AS CATALYSTS FOR NATIONAL STATISTICAL REFORMS

Abstract

This study investigates the possibility of major governance dimensions, namely Control of Corruption (CC), Political Stability and Absence of Violence (PS), and Gender Empowerment (Women, Business and the Law Index, WBL) to be the drivers of the National Statistical Reforms, as a measure of Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI). The study employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and 2019 cross-sectional statistics on 114 countries (World Development Indicators) to measure the combined effect of both. This model is of great importance (Adjusted R 2 = 0.589) and accounts for significant differences in the scores of SPI. Findings reveal that both Control of Corruption and WBL have high, positive and significant impacts as they are statistical integrity catalyst and gender responsive institutional development catalysts. Conversely, there is a negative yet unimportant relationship between Political Stability, which suggests that it acts as a threshold in fragile states. The results underline that the best-fit levers to improve statistical capacity are anti-corruption measures and gender-equal legal reforms, which will facilitate evidence-based policymaking and support Sustainable Development Goals.

Keywords: Women Empowerment, Legal Gender Equality, Women Business and the Law (WBL) Index, Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI), Control of Corruption, Political stability paradox, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Statistical integrity, Evidence-based policymaking