Good Governance

 

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.

Internet Resources and Organizations

African Development Bank(AfDB)  The site provides information on AfDB’s approach, projects, and publications on governance and its anticorruption agenda.

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.

German Development Service (DED) 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 (GTZ) 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.

Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) This site outlines JICA’s approach to governance, includes information on current projects, and provides access to related publications.

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.  This site also includes links to recent publications as well as archived copies of OECD’s public management newsletter, Focus, which was discontinued in 2002.

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 SNV’s focus on strengthening local government and includes case studies, publications, and information on its regional programs.

USAID’s 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 UNDP’s work in regionally 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 [ PDF ].

The Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG) 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 Institute’s Governance and Anticorruption site, and Public Sector Governance Group   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.
 


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Related Articles
The attached articles are for course use and should not be redistributed

After Trident: Proliferation or Peace? Gittings, John. International Relations; December 2007, Vol. 21 Issue: Number 4 p387-410, 24p
The British government decision on `Trident renewal' forms part of a much wider rebuff to the non-proliferation and peace agenda. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty risks being discredited at its next review in 2010; new nuclear powers are setting the pace for others; another `war' is being threatened which will last `for generations'. There has been no post-Cold War peace dividend, and the chance to make up for lost time has been missed. War, not peace, is once again seen as the universal default mode. It is now clear that traditional arguments in favour of peace and nuclear disarmament are never going to succeed. The view that one `cannot predict the unpredictable', used to justify the Trident decision, will always result in decisions being reached on a worst-case scenario. New arguments need to be developed with a broader appeal based not only on strategic calculation but on a compelling alternative world view. Looking both forward and back into history we have to rediscover peace, not war, as humanity's central concern. Just as the test of the good ruler in ancient China was to maintain peace within the four corners of the kingdom, so today modern states have a shared obligation to exercise good governance across the globe. The effort to reshape our common goals will require a sustained exercise in the re-education of elites, and the mobilisation of multitudes.

Measuring Good Governance Using Time Series Data: Fiji Islands. Gani, Azmat , Duncan, Ron. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy; August 2007, Vol. 12 Issue: Number 3 p367-385, 19p
This paper reports on the construction of a governance index for Fiji Islands for the period 1985 to 2003. The governance index has three core dimensions, each a composite of several indicators. Time series for each of the three dimensions of governance, as well as for the overall governance index, are presented in a range from zero (poorest achievement) to 1.0 (best achievement). The indices indicate that Fiji's governance performance was very adversely affected by the coups of 1987 and 2000, with the Rule of Law dimension being the most adversely affected. The index constructed provides a basis from which to monitor future governance performance.

Melanesian Seasonal Migration as a Potential Contribution to Security. Ware, Helen. Global Change, Peace & Security; October 2007, Vol. 19 Issue: Number 3 p221-242, 22p
The Pacific Region has justifiably become increasingly concerned about insecurity in the Pacific island countries. In the longer term, the solution to this insecurity lies not in the military intervention of Regional Assistance Missions, or the external imposition of good governance programmes, but in economic development that specifically gives young people a stake in their country rather than a motivation for unrest or permanent emigration. The paper discusses the potential for seasonal migration from Melanesia, as contrasted with permanent emigration from Polynesia, to make a contribution both to island economies and to regional security. Kiribati's and Tuvalu's experiences with the temporary migration of seafarers are examined for possible lessons. The recently implemented New Zealand seasonal migration programme for the Pacific is set out as a possible model for further development.

The Governance Bank. Thomas, M. A. International Affairs; July 2007, Vol. 83 Issue: Number 4 p729-745, 17p 
While the cancellation of a number of high-profile loans because of corruption concerns has made headline news, the World Bank's principal approach to poorly governed countries is lending in order to support reforms. Although designed to be an apolitical technocratic development financier, increasingly the Bank has focused its attention and resources on promoting good governance in its borrowers. Bank lawyers and presidents have attempted to hive of apolitical aspects of governance by arguing a distinction between the rule of law and the political character of government, but this distinction is illusory. The Bank's inability to address the political embeddedness of poor governance in neo-patrimonial governments skews risk assessments and impedes the formation of effective strategies. Reform of the charter would not eliminate the Bank's bureaucratic and political constraints.

The Localization of Power in Southeast Asia. Democratization; December 2007, Vol. 14 Issue: Number 5 p873-892, 20p
The article analyzes the localization of power in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia after 1998, when the institutional frameworks of the authoritarian New Order of Soeharto quickly unravelled and new ones were rapidly constructed, associated both with electoral democracy and decentralization policy. Comparisons are made in the process with the trajectories of the Philippines and Thailand, two other major post-authoritarian societies in Southeast Asia (though the label can only problematically be applied to Thailand after the coup of September 2006), which have undergone democratization and varying degrees of decentralization. It is argued that the collective experience of these Southeast Asian societies displays some of the more tangible limits to technocratic power. In Indonesia, there are two sets of interests being marginalized under decentralized electoral democracy: class-based interests in opposition to the brand of predatory capitalism that has survived the demise of the New Order; and foreign and domestic supporters of decentralization as 'good governance' that threaten local coalitions of predatory power deploying money politics and developing greater economic and political aspirations and ambitions. While the rise of electoral democracy has meant broader political participation, political contestation remains confined to competing coalitions of local predatory interests.

Unlocking Australia's Relationship with the Middle East. Mansouri, Fethi. Australian Journal of Political Science; March 2007, Vol. 42 Issue: Number 1 p129-142, 14p
Historically, Australia's interests in the Middle East related primarily to its role in the Commonwealth imperial defence system which resulted in the deployment of Australian forces in the Middle East during both the First and Second World Wars. Similarly, the current involvement of Australian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is driven by the country's strategic alliance with the United States. However, Australia's current involvement reflects a multifaceted relationship that spans economic, political and strategic spheres. Yet it is at the level of cultural and civilisational contacts that this relationship appears at its most vulnerable. This paper argues that a deeper understanding of this cultural dimension combined with a broader emphasis on good governance and human rights would be conducive to more robust ties in the longer term.

Vanuatu in Australia-China-Taiwan relations. Australian Journal of International Affairs; September 2007, Vol. 61 Issue: Number 3 p351-366, 16p 
Vanuatu became a major issue in Australia-China-Taiwan relations during Serge Vohor's turbulent prime ministership in 2004. Already engaged in a struggle with Australia over 'good governance', Vohor signed an agreement diplomatically recognising Taiwan. Chinese and Australian pressure led to Vohor's ouster, and a diplomatic setback for Taiwan. Although Australia and Taiwan viewed each other as side issues in this episode, with Australia focused on Vohor and Taiwan on China, their interests were directly opposed during the episode. As became evident in the aftermath of the post-election riot in Solomon Islands in April 2006, these divergent positions have had a lasting negative impact on each country's perception of the other. The key events of 2004 are examined here to demonstrate how this episode has affected the wider landscape of Australia-China-Taiwan relations.


Books


Countries at the crossroads : a survey of democratic governance
Tatic, Sanja.
REF JC423 .C7196 2006

Reforming international environmental governance : from institutional limits to innovative solutions
 Chambers, W. Bradnee.
GE170 .R436 2005

Making states work : state failure and the crisis of governance
 Chesterman, Simon.
JC330.2 .M355 2005 CCM

Corporate governance in Thailand
 Montreevat, Sakulrat.
HD2741 .C826 2006

Russian governance in the twenty-first century : geo-strategy, geopolitics and governance
 Isakova, Irina Viktorovna.
JC319 .I8 2005

State-building : governance and world order in the 21st century
 Fukuyama, Francis.
JA66 .F85 2004

Asia and Europe : global governance as a challenge to co-operation
 Wallace, William
JZ1318 .A853 2004

International organizations : the politics and processes of global governance
Karns, Margaret P.
JZ4850 .K37 2004

Growth & governance in Asia
Sato, Yoichiro.
JQ1499 .G7 2004

Global governance : an architecture for the world economy. Kiel Week Conference (2002)
HF1418.5 .K54 2002

APEC as an institution : multilateral governance in the Asia-Pacific. Annual APEC Study Center International Consortium Meeting (2002 : Mérida, Mexico)
HC412 .A615 2002

Governance in Indonesia : challenges facing the Megawati presidency
Soesastro, Hadi.
DS644.5 .G58 2003

Coping with globalization : cross-national patterns in domestic governance and policy performance
Chan, Steve.
JZ1318 .C685 2002

Asia Pacific governance : from crisis to reform
Sampford, C. J. G. (Charles J G)
JQ1499 .A58 A85 2002

Enhancing global governance : towards a new diplomacy?
  Cooper, Andrew Fenton
JZ4850 .E54 2002

The politics of global governance : international organizations in an interdependent world  2nd ed.
Diehl, Paul F. (Paul Francis)
JZ5566 .P65 2001

Global governance and the United Nations system
Rittberger, Volker
JZ5566.4 .G58 2001


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Updated: 15 July 2008