Transformative Governance Capacity Index 

We operationalize TGC using survey questions that assess city actions at the intersections of three behavioral dimensions: proactive policymaking, engagement in collective double-loop learning, and a willingness to accept risk. 

Relevant responses from the 386 US cities that completed our survey were combined into a composite indicator following OECD and Joint Research Centre guidelines (2008).  The figure below indicates the subject of the survey questions included in the TGC index, which can be matched with the survey instrument also available on this website.

 Because the response scales of the survey questions range from 0–2 to 0–16, we standardized them by converting each to a z-score before constructing the additive index. Since no theoretical basis exists for weighting variables differently, all are given equal weight. The resulting index reflects the extent to which cities engage in the learning-focused, proactive, and risk-accepting behaviors that comprise TGC.

Principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis indicate that six variables loaded well onto a single strong principal component (eigenvalue 3.32). A high Cronbach’s alpha (0.83) suggests strong internal consistency. No clear sub-groupings emerged for the three attributes, which aligns with their conceptual interdependence. The final index ranges from -10.9 to 13.5, with a mean of -0.01 and a standard deviation of 4.4.

Data is available for download here:

Please cite the following when using this data: 

S. M. Fatemi, R. M. Krause, L. A. Nguyen Long, G. Arnold and S. L. Ludwick (2025). Do cities with greater transformative governance capacity pursue more ambitious policies? Examining U.S. cities through the lens of climate resiliency. Climate Policy. DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2025.2512453