Various indices exist to compare, analyze and explain different facts and phenomena. They are usually based on census, empirical research in various scientific fields or statistics. Among these indices we find a broad variety of topics such as the Corruption Perception Index (Transparency International), which highlights the perceived level of corruption in the public and private sector, or the Human Development Index (UN) which ranks countries based on health, education and living standards.
As stated in SSR literature, every country has a need for SSR. Even though countries with a post-conflict background usually show an increased need for SSR activities, highly developed and stable countries also need an SSR strategy (albeit with a more limited scope).
Based on this I was thinking if it would make sense to create an SSR index. Such an index could be used to show which countries have a high or low need for SSR programs and to show improvements of the security sector that were achieved over time.
The difficult part attempting to create such an index would be to define the right criteria and indicators.
There are also potential risks that must be considered while creating such a tool. Even though such an index can assist in the decision making process of allocating limited resources to projects and prioritize them, there is also a potential danger to be considered. What if a country who is desperately looking for donors behaves in a way that makes it look worse in the index only to receive that external support that otherwise would be go to another government?
I welcome any inputs and thoughts on this and looking forward to a productive discussion!
