Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What is good governance?

Excerpts from UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific article of the same title:

Governance is "the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented)". Since governance is the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented, an analysis of governance focuses on the formal and informal actors involved in decision-making and implementing the decisions made and the formal and informal structures that have been set in place to arrive at and implement the decision.
The diagram above shows that the urban middle class are mostly uninformed (or misinformed) and the urban poor suffer the most. Both groups have less influence and participation in decision making especially to do with public policies. However, as they begin to get more organised and with the advent of technology, these two groups are becoming more active politically and wanting to participate in the process of decision making.

Participation
Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives. It is important to point out that representative democracy does not necessarily mean that the concerns of the most vulnerable in society would be taken into consideration in decision making. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand.

Equity and inclusiveness
A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.

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