Governance in a Changing

World: Challenges and

Prospects
Governance refers to the
nature of rules that regulate the
public realm– the space where
state and economic and societal
actors interact to make decisions.
“Governance is a neutral
concept comprising the
mechanisms, processes,
relationships and institutions
through which citizens and
groups articulate their interests,
exercise their rights and
obligations and mediate their
differences.” (UNDP)
Governance as “steering”……
 Foundation Indicators
Arena Indicator
Civil Society Freedom of
expression
Political Society Freedom
Free and of
fairassembly
Government elections
Civil-military
relations
Bureaucracy Commitment
Transparency
Accountability
Economic Society Limited corruption
Judiciary Impartial judgment
 Characteristics of Good Governance
(UNDP)
 Democratic Gains

Since the 1980s, the world has seen a

significant trend toward democratization
—the adoption of democratic principles
of governance and public participation.
 NGOs Awakening

Since 1985, the number of

nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) such as
environmental groups has more
than doubled, with more than 40,000
now officially recorded.
 Inexorable Globalization
Economic globalization—the
growing interdependence of national
economies—has been marked by a
sharp increase in trade and international
investment.

More than 60,000 multinational

corporations now operate in a
global marketplace
 Increasing Privatization

Since the mid-1980s, governments

have increasingly transferred to the
private sector some of their
powers to manage natural
resources and provide services like
drinking water supply, wastewater
treatment, and electric power.
 Lingering Corruption

Corruption is, by definition, among

the most corrosive forces against
fair and participatory decision-
making and one of the clearest
signs of governance dysfunction.
 Continuing Armed Conflict
Armed conflict and its accompanying
political and social turmoil often
short-circuit any systematic process
of governance
 Emerging Information Technology

The international diffusion of information

technologies—Internet access, mobile
phones, pagers, faxes, e-mail, mapping
software, satellite
imagery—has changed the balance of
power among governments,
corporations, and nongovernmental
organizations.
Bureaucratic Performance
Most governmental
organizations are struggling
with respect to competence,
resources, responsiveness and
fragmentation of efforts
Governance is ultimately about:

Cooperation of Actors at all levels of

governance
Creation and enhancing Mechanisms for
collective decision-making
Promoting Processes for a “win-win”
solutions to issues
Greater and better policy and administrative
Integration
Commitment to agreed development goals
Sustaining gains and overcoming conflicts
“Good governance is a
process, characterized by
communication and
consultation, through which
disputes are resolved,
consensus is built and
performance is reviewed, on
the
continuous basis” Nayyar, D
Governance is about
…..
Partnerships,
Cooperation
Balance
Voice
Power
Source: Rosalie Gardiner “Global Governance: Institutions
and Sustainability”
Leadership as
the key to
enhancing
good
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