DWA 227 · Regimes in three dimensions

Regime Space

Every regime is a point in this cube: how far the executive is checked by courts & parliament, how far it answers to the public, and how much state there is to govern with.

The three dimensions

Horizontal accountability Executive constrained by courts, the legislature, and oversight bodies.

Vertical accountability Executive answers to the public: free & fair elections at predictable intervals, free press, civil society, equal access to the ballot.

State capacity Whether there is a state that can implement, enforce, and deliver at all.

Horizontal accountability
Vertical accountability
State capacity (WGI)

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Accountability: V-Dem v16 point estimates, 2025 (v2x_horacc, v2x_veracc). State capacity proxy: World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024, Government Effectiveness. All axes ≈ −2.5 to +2.5; 0 ≈ world average. Colors: V-Dem Regimes of the World.