Good Governance Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

The concept of governance is as old as human civilization. In their 2002 article, “Comparing Governance across Countries and Over Time,” Goran Hoyden and Julius Court note that there are those who view governance, on the one hand, “as concerned with the rules of conducting public affairs, and on the other, those who see it as steering or controlling public affairs” (p. 12). In essence, governance means the process of decision making and the procedure by which decisions are carried out, or not carried out, by those who govern. It is distinguished from government, which refers to an institution consisting of a set of instruments through which people of a state govern themselves by means of laws, rules, and regulations enforced by the state apparatus. Good governance is a subset of governance, and its essential ingredients depend on such fundamental values as accountability, transparency, justice, fairness, equity, and ethics as practiced in a liberal democratic polity. Good governance is also part of a government’s goal of sustaining a good quality of life for its public. Ultimately, governance links an administrative system to a collaborative arrangement with interest groups, citizens, industry, legislators, and a judiciary, creating legitimacy of the public domain while letting each group share its perspective on governance with the rest.

Good Governance

“Good governance” has become a catchphrase used widely by various international agencies such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It means “governing well” by establishing a system of clean governance to achieve the anticipated goals and objectives of the public and the government. In essence, the concept is based on at least ten values:

democratic pluralism, which is essential to maintain cultural sensitivity in a pluralistic society to ensure empathy and tolerance of diversity, fundamental freedom and equality for all, and universal participation in the governing process;
legitimacy in the eyes of the public under the law of the land, that is, through constitutional instruments such as free and fair elections;
consensus among competing interests and equity in approach;
public participation in decision making;
rule of law to ensure fairness and nonpartisanship;
responsiveness of the governing systems toward the needs of the various stakeholders;
efficient and effective accountability of the institutions responsible for the governance, so that power is not misused and outcomes are delivered as anticipated or planned;
transparency in action to build confidence in the state or other institutions;
moral governance, which refers to public service ethics and moral accountability in the process of governance; and
a strategic vision for sustainable long-term human development.

In summary, good governance refers not only to the institutions of government, but also to all the players involved in the process of governance, the values listed above, and ethical conduct, incorruptibility, and sensitivity, which are key factors.

A fundamental principle is that those who govern are accountable to those who will be directly or indirectly affected by their decisions or actions. Transparency and rule of law are prerequisites for ensuring accountability. Moral or ethical behavior is essential for sustainability of the dynamic relationships formed during the conduct of the governance. Incorruptibility requires a clean conscience and keeping the public good above the private. These factors, including various impediments to good governance, are equally pertinent in the resource-starved developing world, where corruption further impoverishes the state, affecting the poorest of the poor.

Impediments To Good Governance

Among major impediments to good governance, corruption and corrupt behavior among public officials constitute a most insidious challenge; however, institutional or bureaucratic hurdles and inadequate compliance mechanisms are equally responsible for bad governance.

The biggest challenge to good governance faced by many countries is inefficiency in the implementation of various policy programs and effective delivery of service. While a country may have adequate legal mandates to solve problems, the gaps in policy implementation mechanisms indicate that enforcement of policies is rather weak and at times nonexistent. In addition, there always exists jurisdictional fighting across levels of government and among various ministries desperate to safeguard their jurisdictions, so policies and programs enthusiastically initiated by one ministry or department may be considered unnecessary or problematic by others and, thus, are slow to be embraced.

Many poor nations have crafted various laws concerning social welfare, environmental protection, and economic development, but they are rarely enforced because of insufficient financial, technical, and administrative resources. Powerful interest groups are often able to influence the regulatory system or bypass compliance measures that are in place. Finally, for government regulators, the cost of enforcement in time and resources is higher than the cost of nonenforcement. Government officials thus suffer from a negative public image and lack of public credibility, both of which contribute to a level of inertia that can inhibit good governance.

Determining Good Governance

Two standards are used to suggest what is required to craft good governance: one for developing nations and another for industrialized countries. International aid institutions, such as the World Bank and IMF, developed the standard that applied to developing nations, whereas the standard applied to industrialized nations mimics the features of liberal democracy found in Western societies. Critics question the validity of a standard, because they believe it imposes values that are “a cover for extending Western influence” (Hoyden and Court 2002, 23).

Despite the fact that in some developing nations, as in industrialized nations, resources may be diverted from the purpose originally intended for them, developing nations often suffer disproportionately from direct political interference in the administrative and enforcement process; policy goals deflected and responsibilities for achieving policy mandates evaded; and rampant reliance on tokenism by a government administration to fill ministry positions rather than talent. Nevertheless, the tenacity of some administrators and political leaders is such that they are able to keep a system of good governance functioning. And so, it would be erroneous to conclude that the various impediments facing these nations are such that they preclude the establishment of good governance.

Bibliography:

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World Bank. The World Development Report: Development and the Environment. Washington D.C.:World Bank, 1992.
World Bank. World Development Report 2004: Making Services Work for Poor People. Washington, D.C.:World Bank, 2004.

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