Governance and Development
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Exploring and generating knowledge on all aspects of democracy, governance and local development.
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The 'why' is perhaps the easiest question. We need good governance quite simply to develop more effectively and more fairly. Governance is closely tied to all other aspects of development including economic and social development and it is perhaps because of the former that the good governance debate has emerged. As mentioned in my previous post because a government or organization that is not managed well is a liability to a creditor and that creditor is usually an MFI or donor.
This perhaps brings us to the 'how'. How do we promote good governance. This is perhaps the most tricky caveats of governance simply because for many developing countries the discourse on governance seems to largely stem from outside of the country and invariably is tied to a performance indicator and to AID. Therefore the push for public sector reform, for the strengthening of civil society and transparency in procurement processes are all requirements. Governments are required to govern better that they've been governing in the past. Is this part of the problem? Is the fact that the ways in which governance is being pursued is largely driven by donors - this includes extreme cases like Afghanistan where everything is borrowed and based on first world prescriptions. Is this part of the problem?
I'm attaching a few articles on governance this week. Next week I hope to look at macro level governance approaches followed by a view of governance from the local perspective namely civil society and local governance.
Discussion Forum
Governance and Corruption
Colleagues, I'd like to share this great presentation by Peter Eigen (founder of Transparency International) on corruption and governance. Peter's position is very clear - corruption is a strong…Continue
Tags: governance, Corruption
Started by Esther McIntosh Oct 9, 2011.
ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE
We see people living nearby abundant natural resources( such as forest resources, water and minerals etc.) don't allow distant user to use them, is it environmental justice? Who are the real owner of…Continue
Started by Pradeep Poudel Jun 6, 2011.
Options in Economic Development
To my mind, 'Human Development' should be posited as the most relevant option in Economic Development This is because any actions, be they conception or implementation are carried out by human beings…Continue
Started by Etrin-Ehoussou Djedou Adaman Dec 15, 2010.
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Esther McIntosh on November 23, 2011 at 5:36pm -
I was recently asked to join the board of a local organization in Guyana, the Transparency Institute which hopes to eventually be a part of Transparency International. Many of us understand first hand the debilitating effect that corruption has on growth and development in the developing world. But perhaps no one has explored the nexus more than Peter Eigen, the founder of Transparency International. I'm therefore sharing a great presentation with Peter Eigen himself,
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/peter_eigen_how_to_expose_the_corr...
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Comment by Esther McIntosh on November 23, 2011 at 5:30pm
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Colleagues - here's some information on the upcoming election in DR Congo and why it is significant. You can get more information from the IFES website (http://www.ifes.org/).
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Comment by Laxman Pandey on May 22, 2011 at 3:38am -
Hi everybody,
I agree both of you.
Thank you for sharing
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Comment by Etrin-Ehoussou Djedou Adaman on April 9, 2011 at 4:37pm -
I am going back to the idea of 'ethics' which in embedded in the concept of 'governance', be it good as we hopes it should be or bad as we combat it. In this respect, I do appreciate the cultural dimension that it involves too as mentioned in the case of Guatemala. What I think should be taken into more than in other dimension the microeconomic aspect of governance. This is because no matter our field of work, we bear the responsibility to treat others as needs and not as means. Consequently, "other people should be seen as valuable ends in themselves, worthy of dignity and and not as impersonal means to achieve our own ends". How many of us, or how many project managers or leaders account for these basic assumptions? Not many, I think. This explains the everlasting debate that surrounds 'governance'. As justice is said to be the first virtue to social institutions, truth should also be seen as the first virtue to systems of thoughts. Is ethics not a system of thought? There exist as many ethics as there are cultures. As a result, the microeconomic dimension that I am trying to bring about deserves attention because it encompasses all these notions, both in its deontological or teleological aspects. May we accomplish our tasks of governing with regard to the benefits that the 'guests' could reap.
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Comment by Bob Sutton on April 9, 2011 at 2:18pm -
As many have agreed Governance and Development are linked, but I think far from a no-brainer!
Applying our assumptions about governance in a community setting and seeking to force or apply simple solutions that may work for some but not for all may miss the mark.
Take Guatemala (where I am working for example). A 36 year civil war (with an action bias against Indigenous people) led to many displaced families and new communities. They have struggled to maintain their roots, build a new identity, embrace new challenges and heal from the wounds of the past.
Lacking a trust in the dominant Government structures; received with hostility or indifference when asking for assistance and most importantly with few members with skills or experience, and hobbled by not speaking the dominant language many communities simply drifted away.
Listening to, and understanding the cultural norms and working to inform and strengthen governance and promote healing in these settings is not an easy task.
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Comment by Esther McIntosh on December 18, 2010 at 10:22am
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Hello everyone!
I wanted to thank everyone for joining the group as I think it is has great potential to generate knowledge, network and share experiences. Unfortunately - I have been a bit scarce on time of late and so I haven't been doing a good job of moderating. I've therefore asked Darwin Horning to help me to co-chair the group in an effort to share some of the responsibility.
More importantly, I would like to ask everyone for ideas on how we can best use this space, what would be useful for your job/research and how we can make it a more dynamic platform.
Your ideas are greatly welcome!
Best,
Esther
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Comment by Patrícia Ribeiro on December 10, 2010 at 1:51pm -
According to my experience, implementing sustainable development projects at local / regional level is extremly linked with governance. Without the support and awareness raising of the political leaders for these issues, you can't achieve the goal! To gain the political support, we need citizens more informed and their willingness to contribute. It happens in developed and developing countries!
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Comment by Laxman Pandey on December 2, 2010 at 11:35pm
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The options are: first, the environment of investments as Good Governance, Political Stability and Security. Second, Infrastructure development. Third promotion of local productions and local resource mobilization.
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Comment by JAMES OLUWAGBEMIGA OYESOLA on July 5, 2010 at 3:15pm -
Our comparative advantage is Agriculture. Let us go back to Land.
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Comment by Esther McIntosh on June 27, 2010 at 8:44am
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