Objective: to present and initially assess a formative composite index that describes integrated governance and execution capacity in four Colombian public health entities using 2025 Institutional Environment and Performance Survey (EDI) microdata.

Methodology: component selection followed a deductive content-validity strategy based on conceptual review, alignment with the EDI thematic structure, organisational relevance, comparability across entities, non-redundancy, and exclusion of variables that operate as outcomes or individual attributes. Valid ordinal responses were transformed to a 0-100 scale; non-substantive codes were treated as missing. Equal weights were used as the main specification. The analysis examined data availability, correlations, VIF, sensitivity to calculation rules, entity-stratified bootstrap intervals, Kruskal-Wallis tests, WLS models with HC3 errors, and internal association with perceived performance.

Results: the sample included 679 records, and the Integrated Governance and Execution Composite Index–Health (ICIGE-S) was computable for 582. The weighted mean was 71.17 (95% bootstrap CI: 70.06-72.27). Entity comparisons are reported as descriptive and exploratory because the available file lacks complete survey-design identifiers and sample sizes are unequal. The PCA-weighted specification was almost identical to the main index (Spearman rho = 0.999).

Conclusion: the ICIGE-S is an initial, transparent, and replicable proposal for profiling perceived capacities in the entities studied. It is not yet a consolidated tool for general use without independent external criteria.

---

Keywords:
Composite index,
public governance,
institutional capacity,
evidence-informed
decision-making,
EDI survey,
public health.

JEL codes:
H11, H75, M10, C43.

RSN_17(37)_84_Formative_web

Apaza, C. R. (2026). Elements of effective public management: Administrative models, reforms, a continuous search for effectiveness. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 20(2), 395-415. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-06-2025-0177

Asthana, S., Mukherjee, S., Phelan, A. L., & Standley, C. J. (2024). Governance and public health decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Public Health Reviews, 45, 1606095. https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2024.1606095

Bollen, K., & Lennox, R. (1991). Conventional wisdom on measurement: A structural equation perspective. Psychological Bulletin, 110(2), 305-314. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.110.2.305

Clark, E. C., Burnett, T., Blair, R., Traynor, R. L., Hagerman, L., & Dobbins, M. (2024). Strategies to implement evidence-informed decision making at the organizational level: A rapid systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 24, 405. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10841-3

Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística. (2026). Encuesta sobre Ambiente y Desempeño Institucional Nacional, 2025. Archivo Nacional de Datos. https://microdatos.dane.gov.co/

Diamantopoulos, A., & Winklhofer, H. M. (2001). Index construction with formative indicators: An alternative to scale development. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2), 269-277. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.38.2.269.18845

Figueredo, E., Jr., & Silva, L. C. S. (2026). Challenges of digital services in public administration in the era of digital transformation: A systematic literature review. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-026-03277-z

Ghaffari Heshajin, S., Sedghi, S., Panahi, S., & Takian, A. (2024). A framework for health information governance: A scoping review. Health Research Policy and Systems, 22, 109. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-024-01193-9

Greco, S., Ishizaka, A., Tasiou, M., & Torrisi, G. (2019). On the methodological framework of composite indices: A review of the issues of weighting, aggregation, and robustness. Social Indicators Research, 141, 61-94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1832-9

Guenduez, A. A., Demircioglu, M. A., Mueller, E. M., & Cinar, E. (2025). Digital innovation strategies in the public sector. Research Policy, 54, 105274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2025.105274

Haby, M. M., Reveiz, L., Thomas, R., & Jordan, H. (2025). An integrated framework to guide evidence-informed public health policymaking. Journal of Public Health Policy, 46(1), 193-210. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-024-00535-9

Haug, N., Dan, S., & Mergel, I. (2024). Digitally induced change in the public sector: A systematic review and research agenda. Public Management Review, 26(7), 1963-1987. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2023.2234917

Haynes, S. N., Richard, D. C. S., & Kubany, E. S. (1995). Content validity in psychological assessment: A functional approach to concepts and methods. Psychological Assessment, 7(3), 238-247. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.7.3.238

Jarvis, C. B., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, P. M. (2003). A critical review of construct indicators and measurement model misspecification in marketing and consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(2), 199-218. https://doi.org/10.1086/376806

Kuch, F., Jung, C., Kreuzer, T., Oberländer, A. M., & Maronna-Aigner, K. (2026). The role of digital post systems in transforming public administration: A digital infrastructure perspective. Government Information Quarterly, 43(1), 102110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2026.102110

Li, J. (2025). Factors influencing national public health governance capacity: Based on NCA and fsQCA. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1628677. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1628677

Li, J., Tang, S.-Y., & Wen, B. (2026). Unpacking resilience in public administration: Insights from a meta-narrative review. Public Administration Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.70083

Ly, B., Ly, R., & Ma, S. (2026). Digital transformation and flexibility in public services: Knowledge, culture and digital infrastructures. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 13, 100947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2026.100947

MacKinnon, J. G., & White, H. (1985). Some heteroskedasticity-consistent covariance matrix estimators with improved finite-sample properties. Journal of Econometrics, 29(3), 305-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(85)90158-7

Macris, L. I., Sam, M. P., & Jackson, S. J. (2026). Performance management in a collaborative context: The conundrum of hard accountability and sector partnership. Public Management Review, 28(1), 207-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2025.2462983

Messick, S. (1995). Validity of psychological assessment: Validation of inferences from persons’ responses and performances as scientific inquiry into score meaning. American Psychologist, 50(9), 741-749. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.50.9.741

OECD & Joint Research Centre. (2008). Handbook on constructing composite indicators: Methodology and user guide. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264043466-en

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2006). The content validity index: Are you sure you know what’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 29(5), 489-497. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147

Saikat, S., Seifeldin, R., Zhang, Y., Nweje, M., Shivji, S., Schmets, G., Squires, N., Viso, A.-C., & Selbie, D. (2025). Governance for public health across health and allied sectors: A scoping review. BMJ Public Health, 3(2), e003542. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2025-003542

Sinervo, L.-M., Vikstedt, E., Laihonen, H., & Pulkkinen, M. (2026). Public management for a sustainable future: Insights from a systematic literature review. Public Money & Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2026.2631591

Song, Y., Bracchiglione, J., Meneses-Echávez, J. F., de Carvalho Gomes, H., Albiger, B., Solà, I., Rigau, D., & Alonso-Coello, P. (2025). Frameworks to support evidence-informed decision-making in public health and infectious disease prevention and control: A scoping review. Eurosurveillance, 30(19), 2400185. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.19.2400185

Spanò, R., Kuruppu, S., Gomes, D., & Iacuzzi, S. (2026). Digital transformations in public sector accounting, auditing and accountability: Palliative or panacea? Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 38(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-11-2025-0334

Subahe, A. H., Baker, P., & Polman, R. (2026). Facilitating collaboration between public health researchers and policymakers: A scoping review of global practices, barriers and facilitators. Health Research Policy and Systems, 24, 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-026-01443-y

Supriatna, M. D., Wibisono, D., & Fatima, I. (2026). Redesigning performance management systems to strengthen village governance: A systematic literature review. Cogent Business & Management, 13(1), 2673594. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2026.2673594

Szedmák, B., Varga, L., & Szabó, R. Z. (2025). Digital transformation of public services: The case of the document management application. International Journal of Public Administration. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2025.2520522

Tai, K.-T., Awasthi, P., & Lee, I. P. (2024). Open government data and self-efficacy: The empirical evidence of micro foundation via survey experiments. Government Information Quarterly, 41(4), 101975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2024.101975

Waardenburg, M., Groenleer, M., & de Jong, J. (2025). Performance management in collaborative governance: A review of the literature and synthesis of the challenges. Public Performance & Management Review, 48(4), 735-767. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2025.2510973

Dimensions

PlumX