Selected sites from the Asian Development Bank

The elements of good governance
The following sections consider briefly the relevance of the four elements of good governance to the development process.

Good Governance Practices are drawn from programs and projects which enabled governments to provide their citizens with improved public service, in an efficient and effective manner.

Good Governance for Poverty Reduction
Ensuring sound and pro-poor public sector management. The quality of governance is critical to poverty reduction. Since effective and efficient delivery of basic services by the public sector matters most to the poor, weak governance hurts them disproportionately.

Lessons from past interventions
Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Projects with Governance Objectives Since 1995, ADB has amassed insights in designing and implementing programs and projects with governance objectives.

Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) This site provides information on AusAid’s governance programs, publications, and research.

Belgium Technical Cooperation (BTC) This site provides information on BTC’s approach to decentralization and local governance.

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) This site provides access to CIDA’s programs and publications on governance. CIDA’s Office for Democratic Governance focuses on issues of freedom and democracy, human rights, rule of law, and open and accountable public institutions in developing countries.

Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)  DANIDA’s DevForum provides information and news on development priorities and themes in Danish development assistance, including good governance, anticorruption, and public sector management.  The site includes links to key references on governance, DANIDA’s governance programmes, and publications/research briefs from its good governance seminars.

Department for International Development, UK (DFID)’s Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC) provides the latest information about governance in development. DFID has initiated a Drivers of Change (DoC)   approach to identify the political institutions, structures and agents that can act as key levers to enable pro-poor change and therefore improve the effectiveness of aid.

Governance and Social Development Resource Centre Funded by the UK Department for International Development, the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC) aims to help reduce poverty by informing policymaking and enhancing professional knowledge in relation to governance, conflict and social development.

Gerrman Development Service (DED) Promotes democracy, civil society, rule of law, and local development through its capacity building activities for local authorities and civil society organisations and its civil conflict management projects.

Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit This site outlines GTZ’s service areas and provides access to publications on governance, decentralization, corruption, and other public sector reform issues.

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) This site provides information on IADB’s projects and publications and features a global governance indicators database which can generate regional and country-level comparative data on a number of governance measures.

Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD) This site provides access to NORAD’s library of governance publications and information on its anticorruption work.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Aid Effectiveness Committee (DAC) DAC is focused on promoting a global partnership for development and accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. DAC’s Network on Governance or GOVNET aims to improve the effectiveness of development assistance in governance and in support of capacity development. It provides a policy forum for members to discuss lessons learned and disseminate good practices. 

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) This site provides information on SIDA’s democratic governance programs and publications.

Stichting Nederlandse Vriwilligers(SNV) Netherlands Development Organization This site highlights focus on strengthening local government and includes case studies, publications, and information on its regional programs.

USAID Office for Democracy and Governance USAID’s governance office is tasked with supporting and advancing USAID's democracy and governance (DG) programming worldwide, helping USAID field missions design and implement democracy strategies, providing technical and intellectual leadership in the field of democracy development, and managing some USAID programs directly. USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), is searchable by subject and country and contains several governance resources.

UNDP's Democratic Governance Program  This program was established in 1995 to respond to increasing demands on UNDP for technical assistance in governance and management development. The program’s global policy network is supported by its Oslo Governance Centre established in Norway in 2002. The site also includes information on work in regional and at the country level in Asia and the Pacific.

United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) UNCDF offers investment capital, capacity building and technical advisory services to promote microfinance and local development in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).  The site provides resources and publications in key areas including local governance.

United Nations Financing for Development Office The site serves as the central clearinghouse for key documents and the follow up process for the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development, which culminated in the adoption of the Monterrey Consensus.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Pacific Plan.
The Pacific Plan proposes a new and innovative approach to the unique challenges that Pacific Island Countries face through a framework of greater regional cooperation and integration.

Partnership for Democratic Governance  PDG is a new multilateral initiative designed to assist developing countries, wherever capacity is limited, to improve governance, strengthen capacity and accountability and effectively deliver essential services such as efficient customs, judicial and tax services.

World Bank’s Governance and Anticorruption Portal  World Bank facilitates action-oriented and participatory programs to promote good governance and curb corruption in its client countries. These dedicated sites include articles, publications, learning products, data, and other resources related to governance and corruption. Key resources include the Governance Matters Indicators, BRIBEline, and the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) Index.

World Bank Demand for Good Governance
Demand for Good Governance (DFGG), or "demand-side" activities are made up of development approaches that focus on citizens as the ultimate stakeholders for better governance. With this focus, they strengthen the capacity of civil society, the media, parliament, local communities, and the private sector to hold authorities accountable for better development results. As such, DFGG complements and strengthens the World Bank Group's traditional "supply-side" work that supports client states to provide government services.