UNDERSTANDING

GOVERNANCE

How we decide
and who gets to decide
often determines what we
decide…..
 GOVERNANCE

The concept of "governance" is not

new. It is as old as human
civilization.

Simply put "governance" means: the

process of decision-making and the
process by which decisions are
implemented (or not implemented).
Governance can be used in
several contexts such as
corporate governance,
international governance,
national governance and
local governance.
First, that governance
refers to processes –
how things are done, not
just what is
done.
Second, that discussion of
governance requires more than
a focus on government.

It also relates to the

nature of relations between
state and society.
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 as “steering”……
“It is a joint enterprise between elected
officials, their citizens and their
organizations.

Governance therefore entails a meaningful

partnership between the state, civil
society and the people who comprise it,
and the private sector. “
“Governance entails, especially,
the state sharing with civil society
the responsibility for policy
making and implementation and
all the partners being accountable
to their constituencies, to each
other and to society as a whole.”
The United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) defines
governance as the exercise of
economic, political, and
administrative authority to manage
a country’s affairs at all levels.
“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)
Six main ‘arenas’ of governance:
i. Civil Society, where citizens raise and
become aware of political issues;
ii. Political Society, where societal interests are
aggregated;
iii. Government, executive stewardship of the
system as a whole;
iv. Bureaucracy, where policies are
implemented;
v. Economic Society, refers to state-market
relations; and
vi. Judiciary, where disputes are settled.
URBAN GOVERNANCE ACTORS
Identifying stakeholders in governance

Governments or governing
institutions –
also known as the state - according to UNDP,
include governing institutions - legislatures,
judiciaries and electoral bodies.
The public sector,
according to UNDP, embraces the civil
service, economic and
financial management and urban
management.
The private sector

includes profit-oriented businesses and

corporations.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs),

sometimes called the voluntary sector or the

Third Sector.

These are also known as citizens’ associations,

peoples’ organizations, or NGOs.
Intermediaries

include the media, trade unions,

religious institutions, social
movements, and academia.
 Civil society.
as the institutional forms that occupy the space between
government and business.

It is the space we occupy when we are engaged neither in

government (voting, jury service, paying taxes) nor in commerce
(working, producing, shopping, consuming).

And it is a space defined by such activities as attending

church or synagogue, doing community service, participating in a
voluntary association, contributing to a charity, assuming
responsibility in a Parent-Teacher Association or a neighborhood
crime watch or a hospital fund-raising society.

“Civil society is thus public without being coercive,

voluntary without being privatized.”
Experts

can be found in each stakeholder group.

They bring knowledge and experience
to bear on the full range of issues
related to governance.
Ordinary citizens

are the basic building block of civil

society.

They include the poor, the

disenfranchised, the marginalized, and
the vulnerable and the young
Community,
refers to all citizens (including government)
who share a sense of place, purpose and
communal values.

Its spatial boundaries can be as

small as a classroom or as large as the planet.
It can be a rural village, an urban centre, a
neighborhood, a watershed, an ecosystem, a
coastal zone, an Aboriginal homeland, a
state, a province or a country.
GOOD
GOVERNANCE
“Good governance is the joint
responsibility of players in the public
sector, the corporate private sector,
and civil society at national,
international, multinational and
multilateral levels.”
“Good governance is about
pursuing and promoting the
greatest good for the greatest
number of citizens at all times,
while equally respecting and
according due protection to those
who may hold a different view.”
(Hope Chigudu and Ezra Mbogori )
Six Core Principles of Good Governance
(ODI)
• Participation:
the degree of
involvement by affected stakeholders.

• Fairness : the degree to which rules

apply equally to everyone in society.

• Decency: the degree to which the

formation and stewardship of the
rules is undertaken without
humiliating or harming people.
• Accountability: the extent to which
political actors are responsible to society
for what they say and do.

• Transparency: the degree of clarity and

openness with which decisions are made.

• Efficiency: the extent to which limited

human and financial resources are
applied without unnecessary waste, delay
or corruption.
 Foundation Indicators
Arena Indicator
Civil Society Freedom of expression
Freedom of assembly
Political Society Free and fair elections
Government Civil-military relations
Commitment
Bureaucracy Transparency
Accountability
Economic Society Limited corruption
Judiciary Impartial judgment
According to UNDP, good governance
addresses the allocation and
management of resources to respond to
collective problems.

It is, among other things, participatory,

transparent and accountable. It is also
effective and equitable. And it promotes
the rule of law.
Good governance ensures that
political, social and economic
priorities are based on broad
consensus in society and that the
voices of the poorest and the most
vulnerable are heard in decision-
making over the allocation of
development resources.
Good governance also recognizes
that governance is exercised by the
private sector and civil society, as
well as the state, all of which have
important roles to play in promoting
sustainable human development.
Good governance is viewed as a
prerequisite to the achievement of
sustainable human development.

The relationships among the state,

private sector and civil society
determine whether a nation can create
equitable opportunities for its people.

And the role of government is central to

this endeavor.
According to UNDP, government
must be efficient, have legitimacy in
the eyes of the people, build national
consensus around its stated
objectives, and foster a strong social
fabric.
 Characteristics of Good Governance
(UNDP)
The Secretary-General of the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) notes that:

"…the key to providing opportunities for

all citizens to enjoy productive and
fulfilling lives…is ensuring that the
triangular paradigm of economic
growth, social cohesion and good
governance is kept in balance."
Further,
“…… the quality of the institutions that
support government policymaking is as
important as that of the policies
themselves.

Good governance is essential for

strengthening democracy; promoting
economic prosperity, social cohesion and
environmental sustainability; and
maintaining confidence in public
institutions.”
Key Governance Challenges
 Civil Society:
Space for civil society is
increasingly open.

However, public input into policy

remains quite limited.

Peoples’ views tend to be ignored

or misrepresented.
 Political Society:

Most striking here is the low rating for the

accountability of legislators.

The respondents noted that legislators tend to

ignore the public’s interests and that many
legislators run for office because of financial
advantages.

Decision-making processes are often not clear

and patronage remains prevalent in the public
realm.
 Government:

The good news here is that in many countries

the military is increasingly seen as subordinate
to civil government.

There are also interesting findings on regime

type. Governments can gain legitimacy from
strong development performance.

On its own, being elected is not a guarantee of

legitimacy.
 Bureaucracy:

Ratings for the accountability and

transparency of the bureaucracy are
generally low.

Since bureaucratic accountability and

transparency are central for delivering
services to the public, they deserve
further attention as countries push to
achieve the MDGs.
‘Right from birth to death nothing
happens without bribery and
corruption. People can neither
live nor die with dignity.’
(A governance expert in India)
 Judiciary:
There are major concerns regarding the
quality of justice systems.

One is that ‘money buys justice’. A

second refers to inefficiency and the slow
processing of cases – a common view is
that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. A
third highlights that many of the poor and
illiterate people fear to approach
the courts
Other Key Factors for Good Governance
Technical and managerial competence

Organizational capacity

Reliability, predictability and the rule of law

Accountability

Transparency and open information systems

Participation
 Reaction/Comments:

3. How important is governance to

achieving national/regional
development?

2. What is your own thinking about

“good” governance?