The Concepts Governance, Good Governance, and Good Enough Governance - Term Paper Example

Development Studies: Describe and evaluate the concepts governance, good governance and good enough governanceIntroduction Many scholars, aid donors, policymakers, as well as recipients of aid, contend that governance forms a crucial aspect of sustainable economic development. This growing realization has sparked the need to have an understanding of the concepts of governance, good governance, and good enough governance. An evaluation of the three concepts of provides an understanding of the relevant policy indicators of the concepts. This paper describes and evaluates the concepts governance, good governance, and good enough governance. In the discussion, the paper will make reference to the global governance institutions such as World Bank and IMF. The paper will also discuss the indicators of governance, good governance, and good enough governance. Governance Governance refers to the rules expressed by rulers within a set of rules, which ought to be followed by those exercising the governance. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank consider governance as the efforts aimed at creating an enabling environment, as well as building capacities. According to these international organizations, governance requires renewal of the political structure of a country. As such, corruption should be addressed from the highest to the lowest level (Munshi 2004, p. 34). The World Bank and IMF contend that governance entails setting an outstanding example through such actions as encouraging public participation, strengthening transparency and accountability, and by nurturing a free press. The IMF and World Bank also hold that governance includes fostering non-governmental and grassroots organizations, which may include women’s groups, co-operatives, as well as associations. According to the IMF and World Bank, governance encompasses the process of making decisions and the implementation of these decisions. Based on this, analysis of governance focuses on the informal and formal actors who take part in the making and implementation of the decisions. Therefore, governance entails the involvement of the informal and formal structures in the process of making decisions and the implementation of the decisions made (Kampen 2011, p. 3). The World Bank and IMF hold that one of the actors involved in governance includes the government. Actors in governance may vary in accordance with the level of government being discussed. For instance, actors in the rural areas may encompass farmers’ associations, cooperatives, research institutes, and nongovernmental organizations (Munshi 2004, p. 36). In their explanation of the key players in governance, the IMF and World Bank argue that, at the national level, international donors, lobbyists, multinational corporations, and the media play an essential role in governance. Apart from the military and the government, all the other actors in governance fall under the category of the civil society. Other key players in governance may include informal advisors as well as informal structures, especially those referred as kitchen cabinets (Kampen 2011, p. 4). The IMF and World Bank consider the quality of governance to be associated with the democratic components that it has. The World Bank contends that governance in borrowing countries can be improved through addressing such issues as democracy, politics, and power. The World Bank also considers that governance cannot be reinforced or strengthened by adopting such actions as aid conditionality in developing countries. Therefore, the World Bank does not rely heavily on the punitive governance conditionality. Rather, the Bank places profound reliance on governance based on incentives. The World Bank also posits that a radical approach to governance should be applied, which entails the donors ceding control of the beneficiary countries (World Bank 2011, p. 108). Over the years, the concept of governance has gained significant momentum as well as widespread meaning. International lending institutions have seen it as a crucial instrument in the management of public affairs. Governance has also gained prominence as an indicator of political development within a country, making it useful in the enhancement of the legitimacy of the public realm. As an analytical approach, governance has acted as a framework of comparative politics. According to the World Bank, governance encompasses questions of a constitutional nature, which tend to frame some comparative analysis of politics at the macro level. In the practice of governance, political actors have to intervene creatively in order to bring changes in the structures that hinder the realization of full human potential (Olowu & Sako 2002, p. 6). The World Bank also refers to the notion of governance as the process, which entails the exercise of political powers in order to manage the affairs of a nation. In a 1992 publication, entitled Governance and Development, the World Bank defined governance as the manner of exercising power in managing the economic and social resources of a country for the purposes of development (Agere 2000, p. 24). For the World Bank, governance has to be characterized by enlightened, open, and predictable policy making that hinges on the executions of the process through transparency. Governance has to be carried out by an executive government arm, which has to account for its actions. In addition, the civil society has to participate actively in public affairs with all the actors following the rule of law. Good governance This concept came into being during the late 1980s, a time at which the world witnessed numerous political transformations. The collapse of the Berlin wall on November 9, 1989 led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union, an act that saw the economic and political alliances of the Eastern bloc decay. Because of changes in the political system, a debate ensued on how the governance of states should be undertaken to achieve development. The World Bank came up with the term good governance to refer to an efficient public service, an administration that can be held accountable by its people, as well as a reliable judicial system (Levy 2007, p. 32). According to the World Bank, the concept encompasses eight key elements. These include the fact that good governance is participatory, transparent, consensus oriented, accountable, responsive, equitable and inclusive, efficient, effective, and follows the rule of law. The World Bank contends that good governance can significantly improve the living standards in developing countries (Agere 2000, p. 31). Good governance also ensures that there is minimization of corruption, and the vulnerable in society take part in decision making, and the minorities’ views are listened to in decision making processes. Therefore, the World Bank views good governance as one of the crucial aspects in its mission of alleviating poverty throughout the world. The World Bank considers the concept as one that responds to the present as well as future needs that the society may have (World Bank 2011, p. 112). For the World Bank, participation entails the process whereby stakeholders exercise influence and have control over such aspects as policy making, setting priorities, access to public services and goods, as well as resource allocation. This means that there has to be the involvement of all civil society groups in the development endeavors. The World Bank sets out that participation of both women and men can be regarded as key in good governance (Levy 2007, p. 38). Participation can either include direct participation or through the use of legitimate representatives or institutions. According to the World Bank, participation should be organized as well as informed. As such, good governance should give room for the freedom of association and expression as well as the involvement of an organized civil society (Yadav 2009, p. 10). The World Bank holds that good governance entails the respect of the rule of law, which hinges on the impartial enforcement of legal frameworks. This calls for the protection of fundamental human rights, especially those of the minority groups. The World Bank stresses the need for an independent judiciary and police force that cannot be corrupted. According to the World Bank, transparency hinges on the fact that decisions should be enforced in a manner that ensures rules and regulations are followed. Good governance should also avail information freely and can be accessed directly by the people who will be impacted on the decisions made (Agere 2000, p. 42). Another key component of good governance includes accountability; both the private sector and government institutions should be accountable to their stakeholders as well as the public. The World Bank also contends that, for good governance to be realized, institutions should serve all stakeholders within the required timeframe. Consensus also forms part of the components of good governance. According to the World Bank, good governance calls for the mediation of the various stakeholders in the society; this helps to reach at some consensus. The perspective on what is required for the sustainable development of humans requires a broad perspective (Agere 2000, p. 47). In terms of equity and inclusiveness, the World Bank holds that the wellbeing of the society depends on making sure that all the society members are not excluded in the major activities. Thus, good governance should ensure the equitable inclusiveness of all groups such as the vulnerable population. Furthermore, the World Bank contends that good governance should ensure that all institutions meet the needs of the society members and make best use of the resources they have. In the context of good governance, efficiency also encompasses the use of natural resources sustainably through environmental protection (Bevir 2010, p. 7). On its side, the IMF strives to promote good governance by assisting member nations to improve the management of their resources. The International Monetary Fund also strives to create a transparent and stable regulatory environment for the private sector. According to the IMF, good governance aims at maximizing the transparency of the financial operations in the government sector. This ensures that organizations and individuals receive preferential treatment. In order to enhance good governance, the international monetary fund helps nations to have simplified tax systems, business legislation, and have strong customs and tax administration (Yadav 2009, p. 35). This happens through the elimination of exemptions, which may only be applicable to few privileged persons. Through these efforts of the IMF, revenues are availed to help in financing crucial public services, which will ensure the access of these services to the entire population. Good enough governance According to the IMF and World Bank, good enough governance refers to the fact that interventions believed to play a central role in development endeavours should be given priority and made relevant to the conditions of the countries in question. The World Bank considers that striving to achieve good enough governance implies an understanding on how institutions evolve. In addition, good enough governance can only be achieved upon understanding the capabilities of the government. The concept hinges on the clear understanding of the working strategies, as opposed to focussing on gaps in governance. In order to achieve good enough governance, the government should play an essential role in the alleviation of poverty (Yadav 2009, p. 42). The core functions of good enough governance encompass political legitimacy, efficient and effective delivery of services and goods, as well as security. Another important aspect of good enough governance includes the proper management of public funds. According to the World Bank, good enough governance entails efforts to manage information regarding public expenditures as well as enhance transparency in the budget process (Bevir 2010, p. 10). The IMF and World Bank also contend that good enough governance encompasses political will, democratization, and getting information on the activities of the government. To enhance the success of good enough governance, there should be the reformation of the enterprises owned by the state and significant improvements in the social services. Good enough governance tends to be all-inclusive in the sense that it incorporates all aspects of development. The World Bank proposes that democratization enhances good enough governance as it can be attributed to a number of reforms and positive development agendas. The reforms addressed through democratization hinge on many aspects of governance such as anti-corruption, transparency, efficiency in management, as well as accountability. The donor agencies such as World Bank and IMF consider good enough governance to comprise of efficiency in all sectors of the government. This reveals that good enough governance can only be achieved when all aspects of a country’s economy progress as intended (Bevir 2010, p. 15). Conclusion While concluding this study, it is worth noting that governance forms a core aspect of sustainable development of the economy. The World Bank and IMF consider that the concepts of governance, good governance, and good enough governance can be explained in the context of transparency, accountability, anti-corruption, and the involvement of all citizens in development endeavours. Governance also hinges on the utilization of public resources properly and the effective management of the public as well as private institutions. The World Bank contends that countries should achieve governance, good governance, and good enough governance in order to realize sustainable development. References List Agere, S. (2000). Promoting Good Governance: Principles, Practices and Perspectives, London, Commonwealth Secretariat. pp. 23-50. Bevir, M. (2010). Democratic Governance, New Jersey, Princeton University Press. pp. 1-17. Kampen, R. (2011). The World Bank‘s (Good) Governance Approach in Sub-Saharan Africa, Norderstedt Germany, GRIN Verlag. pp. 3-5. Levy, B. (2007). Governance Reform: Bridging Monitoring and Action, New York, World Bank Publications. pp. 31-40. Munshi, S. (2004). Good Governance, Democratic Societies and Globalisation, London, SAGE. pp. 33-40. Olowu, D. & Sako, S. (2002). Better Governance and Public Policy: Capacity Building for Democratic Renewal in Africa, San Francisco, Kumarian Press. pp. 1-20. World Bank (2011). World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development, New York, World Bank Publications. pp. 108-116. Yadav, S. R. (2009). Good governance, Issues, Challenges, and Prospects, New Delhi, Global Vision Publishing House. pp. 5-50. Read More