Politics, the Role of Good Governance - Assignment Example

Politics Paper Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Thesis Statement 2 Discussion 3 Conclusion 6 Works Cited 7 Introduction The role of good governance is widely considered as a crucial factor contributing towards eradicating poverty and promoting human development, not only in less developed countries but also in developed nations. Around the world, an increasing number of people and economists have recognized that proper governance system intensely matters for the overall development of the country, including human development aspects1. Consequently, the form of governance adopted within the nation’s political system is worth to be considered while addressing various development issues considering it to be responsible for determining, implementing and appraising strategies and policies formulated to meet the requirements of the nation ensuring rapid developments throughout the nation. Thesis Statement The discussion focuses on the role of democracy in influencing the overall development of low-income countries. It also precisely outlines the performance of these countries after their independence and acceptance of a democratic system. Discussion There are various forms of governance system such as monarchy, dictatorship and democratic practiced by different nations around the world. However, since last few decades’, democratic form of governance systems has gained tremendous popularity and is widely favored by both people and experts, especially in low-income or developing countries. Most of the nations around the world have either already transformed their governance system into democracy, or they are observed as endeavoring to transfer their governance system into a democratic structure. One of the best definitions for the term was given by U.S. President Mr. Abraham Lincoln, which states democracy as “government of the people, by the people and for the people”. It should be noted in this regard that the word ‘democracy’ primarily focuses on the people and not on the government2. The world is now more democratic than it was ever before. After the independence of many Asian and African nations, countries have adopted democratic system of government in the face of intense poverty and relentless social as well as economic apprehensions. Nonetheless, democratization in low-income countries has resulted in positive outcomes in several fronts, especially in achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparities in access of basic education. The democratization in low-income countries has indeed helped them to reduce child mortality rate and poverty rate that was likely being faced by many developing countries before democratization. The spread of democratization along with the integration of world economy through globalization process and the dramatic technology revolution have accumulatively contributed in an increased potential of the low-income countries for improving the lifestyle of the citizens ensuring greater human freedom and well-being. Moreover, wars among the countries were more frequent in the non democratic regime which ultimately led the low-income countries in a state of growing poverty. Notably, numbers of wars among the nations have dropped by a significant extent since last two decades which can be credited to democratization process of governance adopted by the nations that has certainly changed the mindset of people from being aggressive and conventional to be progressive and unconventional. Despite the positive outcomes of democratization, one of its most apparent negative results indicates towards an increased number of civil conflicts in the low-income countries, which to a certain extent has limited the scope of the virtues expected from the process. Many experts have argued that countries can promote human development, if the governance system of the nation is fully accountable to all the citizens irrespective of their socio-economic distinctive features. With this they have either directly or indirectly advocated democratization as the best solution to achieve greater human development in low-income and other countries around the globe. Eventually, democratization has expended the capabilities of the people in terms of education and enabled them to play an active role in the country’s politics, thereby seeking greater participation of people in fostering and developing human lives almost in all aspects. From a generalized perspective, it can further be attributed that democratization has improved the relationship between people and the government enhancing the degree of trust towards the government since that recorded in non-democratic regimes. Furthermore, democratization permits people to form associations (for example, Non-Governmental Organizations) and unions (such as Trade unions and labor unions) allowing them to monitor the performances of the government which has subsequently resulted in an increased human development, especially in low-income countries. In addition, democratization has led towards pluralism of people and has also unified their efforts towards achieving national goals rather than stressing on personal needs solitarily. The low-income countries, integrated with the democratic system of governance, are becoming increasingly effective in satisfying the needs of the people and addressing regional and individual disparities. Consequentially, administrative structure in democratic system of low-income countries are more decentralized which relatively focuses on the development of people protecting their rights implementing laws enacted by the central and state government3. However, the major threats prevailing in the low-income countries are the trends of corruption due to the limited resource available with the people in comparison to their needs. Democratic system has not been able to halt the corruption prevailing within the administrative system which has severely limited the human development and other infrastructural development processes of the nation. People in low income countries are largely dependent on agriculture owing to which it has often been noted that the democratic system prevailing in these nations are unable to bridge the gap between the remote and urban areas. Consequently, the people in low-democratic nations are suffering from the barriers of wealth distribution parity. Although the democratic system of governance in low-income countries is committed towards reducing income disparities, it is criticized to be far behind from achieving its desired results. Conclusion Democracy emphasizes on the citizens and not on the government. Recent researches and the chronological developments of world economies reveal that democratization has indeed helped these countries to make substantial improvements in all aspects of the nation. In the recent years, low-income countries with their democratic governance system and integration of national economic with the global economic trends have been able to gain focus on education and health of the citizens which are termed to be the rudiments of a sustainable economic development. However, there are yet some challenges prevailing in terms of corruption raising obstacles in the course of their development. To be precise, democratic form of government in low-income countries can be regarded as one of the best forms of governance which shall help them to achieve their predetermined goals and improve the living standard of the natives bringing improvements in all the aspects of the economy subjected to its structured and integrated implementation. Works Cited United Nations Development Programme. Democratic Governance for Human Development, 2002. Web. 16 Sep. 2012. United Nations Development Programme. Governance for the Future: Democracy and Development in the Least Developed Countries, 2006. Web. 16 Sep. 2012. International Endowment for Democracy. Statement of Purpose, 2012. Web. 16 Sep. 2012. Read More