Did You Know This? – 8

(From a UNDP Monograph on Decentralization)

Nharnet Team (March 24, 2005)

Did You Know This? - 7

The Chimera of Self-Determination

By Michael Bliss

Nharnet Team (March 17, 2005)

Did You Know This? - 6

What is Ethnicity According

to Anthropologists?

By Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1993)

Nharnet Team (March 10, 2005)

Did You Know This? - 4

 The Right to Autonomy:

Chimera or Solution?

By Hurst Hannum

 Nharnet Team (Feb 19, 2005)

Did You Know This?– 3

Did You Know This?– 2

 in Multi-Ethnic Societies

Nharnet Team (Feb 12, 2005)

Did You Know This?– 1

Governance and Conflict Resolution

 in Multi-Ethnic Societies

Nharnet Team (Feb 10, 2005)

Did You Know This? – 9

 The ABC of Good Governance

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)

Nharnet Team (April 5, 2005)

(Because of bad governance under the autocratic PFDJ regime, Eritrea is being sidelined from many advantages that could have come its way from the international humanitarian community and donor nations and institutions. This innocent nation of ours is being listed with the worst wrong-doers in the world because of the limitless abuses of the one-man tyranny.  But what is good governance? The following piece of reading provides good clues to the meaning of good governance.)

The terms governance and good governance are being increasingly used in development literature. Governance describes the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Hereby, public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources, and guarantee the realization of human rights. Good governance accomplishes this in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption, and with due regard for the rule of law.

Good governance defines an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal. Major donors and international financial institutions, like the IMF or World Bank, are increasingly basing their aid and loans on the condition that reforms ensuring good governance are undertaken.

Good governance can be understood as a set of 8 major characteristics:

participation,

rule of law,

transparency,

responsiveness,

consensus oriented,

equity and inclusiveness,

effectiveness and efficiency and

accountability.

These characteristics assure that

corruption is minimized,

the views of minorities are taken into account and

that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making

Participation

Participation by both men and women.

Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives.

Participation also means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand.

Rule of law

Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially.

Full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities.

It also means independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force.

Transparency

Decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations.

Information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement.

Responsiveness

Institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.

Consensus oriented

Need of mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved.

It also requires a long-term perspective for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development.

Equity and inclusiveness

Ensuring that all members of society feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream.

This requires all groups, and especially the most vulnerable to have opportunities to maintain or improve their well being.

Effectiveness and efficiency

Processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal.

It also means sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.

Accountability

Governmental institutions as well as the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders.

In general organizations and institutions are accountable to those who will be affected by decisions or actions.

What constitutes good and bad governance is an on-going debate in politics, civil society, and academia. One non-partisan view that is grounded in research and analysis at Oxford University, Cambridge University, École nationale d'administration, Harvard University, and similar world leading universities is offered by the Oxford Council on Good Governance.

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