The LGA employed the same research instrument - the Good Government Index, which has been developed by the SCTM in a separate process - on the whole sample that included selected 46 municipalities and 16 cities.

The Assessment collected valuable data and provided analysis of the current situation pertained to LSGUs’ actual application of principles of accountability, transparency, participation, equality, predictability, efficiency and effectiveness, and anti-corruption policies and practices.

“Although some results and indicators are suggesting that the country is moving into the right direction regarding the accountability, transparency or efficiency, the other findings on non-discrimination, equality and especially local policies and practices for fighting corruption indicate that local self-governments and the country as a whole need to learn and improve in these areas,” Dragan Mladenović, the Swiss PRO Good Governance Advisor said.

The rather comprehensive LGA document, canvas the broad picture and depicts the different levels of the quality of local governance among the Serbian LSGUs in the observed timeframe. The municipalities in Serbia differ significantly among themselves in this regard: from a cumulative score for all observed indicators for good governance principles, one finds at the very bottom municipalities with only 18% or somewhat above (out of ideal 100%) of compliance with the standard, while at other end there are LSGUs with as much as 64% of compliance. The average compliance for applying good governance principles in practice for Serbia is 39%.