World Bank report details Zimbabwe's steep decline

By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's slide into political and economic chaos represents one of the most dramatic declines in any country's governance over the past decade, according to World Bank bank data released on Tuesday.

The report shows a sharp deterioration in Zimbabwe measured against six indicators -- rule of law, corruption, voice and accountability, quality of regulations, political stability and government effectiveness.

Corruption and other government flaws have notably escalated in Zimbabwe since 2000, according to the bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators, based on the most comprehensive data from 212 countries (www.govindicators.org).

In 2000, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe began a controversial land reform campaign in which the government seized white-owned farms, plunging the country's economy into a severe crisis.

Since then, Mugabe has also come under increasing diplomatic pressure from the West to step down after nearly 30 years in power, while the country's opposition Movement for Democratic Change threatens his hold at home.

But Daniel Kaufmann, director of governance at the World Bank Institute, said while governance in Zimbabwe had shown a "dramatic decline," it is not the only country faring badly on that front.

"There are some countries that on a number of dimensions of governance rate below Zimbabwe or at the same level over a longer period of time, such as North Korea or Myanmar," Kaufmann told reporters.

Other countries that did not score high included Venezuela, Ivory Coast, Belarus, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan.