The SGI provide the most comprehensive survey of sustainable governance in OECD and EU countries. Advocating the exchange of good practices, we offer full access to our data set and enable comparisons that generate future innovations in governance.

SGI 2021 SPECIAL STUDY

Sustainable Governance in the Context of the COVID-19 Crisis

Our broad-based review of 29 OECD and EU countries
allows for a systematic comparison of COVID-19 crisis
resilience. Our guiding questions are:

How well do democratic checks and balances
function in a crisis?
How well-organized is the political process of
crisis management?
How vulnerable are economic, health and social
security systems?
How effective and sustainable is the crisis
response?

See our complete study
Download the data (including all rankings)
Check out the 29 country reports:

SGI NEWS

Approval Rates in Times of War

July 10, 2022 | by Karola Klatt

Rallying around the Flag in Times of Crisis

Why not all leaders get a popularity boost in threatening times - and certainly not Joe Biden.

Crisis Preparedness

July 04, 2022 | by Christof Schiller

How Liberal Democracies Can Become Champions of Resilience

Around the globe, what lessons can be learnt from the corona era to help countries weather current and future shocks? It turns out that five governance capabilities are central to making democracies more resilient.

EU Council Presidency, Czech Republic

June 30, 2022 | by Vít Dostál

Fallout from the War in Ukraine to loom over Czech EU Presidency

The government of the Czech Republic is gearing up for its Presidency of the Council of the EU, starting on July 1. While it is already dealing with a range of domestic challenges and implicated in recent corruption allegations, the continued war in Ukraine looks set to shape its second stint at the helm of the bloc.

French Election

June 10, 2022 | by Antonia Pieper

President Macron’s Struggle to Unite the French Population

Emmanuel Macron has won a second stint as French president but the legislative elections on 12 and 19 June 2022 will be his next big test. Only with a majority in the lower house of parliament will he be able to push ahead with his reform agenda. Will President Macron be able to appeal to a broader section of voters?

Post-election Analysis

April 20, 2022 | by Thomas Kalinowski

The Significance of South Korea’s New President Yoon Seok-yeol

Yoon Seok-yeol, the conservative candidate, won the extremely tight presidential race in an agenda-less election. While domestically his ability to impose radical changes are limited, he is aiming to foster closer ties with the US and Japan.

Social Gap and Climate Change within the G7

February 10, 2022 | by Karola Klatt

Protecting the Vulnerable is Vital to Hit Net Zero

Industrialized countries’ growing social chasm is jeopardizing the fight against climate change. How does Germany want the G7 to respond? A commentary on Social Justice Day.

Basic Income, Corona crisis, covid

December 15, 2021 | by Heikki Hiilamo

Can Basic Income Schemes Take the Pinch out of the Corona Crisis?

As the corona pandemic hit households worldwide, Japan, the United States, South Korea, Italy and Spain turned to the basic income scheme, offering no-strings-attached payments to citizens in need.

Coronavirus Pandemic Management

December 06, 2021 | by Friedrich Heinemann

Germany’s Pandemic Fatigue Prevails Despite Glowing Track Record

Objectively speaking, German politicians have earned a good report card for their management of the corona pandemic so far. Why then is there so much anger about the national coronavirus response?

SGI PUBLICATIONS

SGI Studies

Our studies offer comprehensive
examinations of central aspects and
region-specific challenges related to
sustainable governance. Moreover we
have investigated the state of play of
social justice and social inclusion,
COVID-19 crisis management or the
implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals.

SGI Policy Briefs

Our policy briefs examine specific
policy challenges, summarizing
current interventions and good
practices for policymakers, while
considering the key impacts.

SGI Country Reports

The 2020 issue of the SGI shows
declining quality of democracy,
increasing polarization and deficits
in governance capacities.

Policy Brief

Major differences in the conditions for successful COVID-19 crisis management

The COVID-19 crisis is functioning as a litmus test of wealthier democracies’ future viability. EU and OECD countries vary considerably in terms of their pre-crisis socioeconomic conditions. Their capacity for political reform also varies widely. These differences are likely to grow as the COVID-19 crisis continues.