Introduction

Recently the terms "governance" and "good governance" are being

increasingly used in development literature. Bad governance is being
increasingly regarded as one of the root causes of all evil within our
societies.
Governance
The concept of "governance" is not new. It is as old as human
civilization. Simply put "governance" means: the process of decision-
making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not
implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such as
corporate governance, international governance, national governance
and local governance.
Government is one of the actors in governance. Other actors involved in
governance vary depending on the level of government that is under
discussion. In rural areas, for example, other actors may include
influential land lords, associations of peasant farmers, cooperatives,
NGOs, research institutes, religious leaders, finance institutions political
parties, the military etc. The situation in urban areas is much more
complex.

Defining good governance

In the 1990s, the World Bank became the first international institution to
adopt the concept of good governance into lending arrangements for
developing countries and introduce the idea to the general public. In
its 1992 report entitled “Governance and Development”, the notion of
good governance was written as the way in which power is used to
regulate the economic and social resources of a country for
development.

Now, the term good governance has often been used by national and
international organisations. Good governance aims to minimise
corruption, take into account the opinions of minorities, listen to the
voices of the oppressed people in the decision-making process, and
respond actively to the needs of the community now and in the future.

What is Good Governance?

Governance as the normative sense has given the concept of ‘Good
Governance’. It refers to the welfare in governance and improving the
quality of governance.  It enables the government to provide equal
opportunities and fair delivery of goods and services to the people who
are most marginal in society. 

Good governance refers to mobilizing the people of a country in the

best direction possible. It requires the unity of people in society
and motivates them to attain political objectivity. In other words; It
ensures proper utilization of all the resources of the state for its
citizens which ensures sustainable development.

Importance of Good Governance

The importance of good governance in a state is immense.

Sustainable development is not possible without good governance. 
Economic Development

Without good governance in a state, the economic development of that

state is not stable. All elements of economic development, such as
production, distribution, investment, and even consumption, face various
obstacles. If good governance is established, such obstacles will be
removed and the fair distribution of state resources will be possible.

Social Development

Good governance is essential for social development. The role of it does

not end only with economic development. The result of development
ensures that every class of people in society enjoys the basis of fairness.
People of different religions, castes, and classes live in a society. Now, if
there is no fair distribution of wealth among all these people, social
discontent will increase.

Again, the proper distribution of wealth is not enough. We have to make

arrangements so that the minority people can walk without fear. In the
same way, various reform laws have to be enacted to reduce the gap
between men and women in society.
Political Development

Its relationship with political development is quite important. If the

political leaders of a country are not active in establishing good
governance, then its establishment in that country is not possible.Its
success depends largely on the sincerity of the political leadership and
adherence to the rules and regulations of the political establishment.

The constructive cooperation between the political institutions and the

political parties and the formulation of programs for the welfare of the
people play an important role in establishing good competition and good
governance among themselves. For example, in a democracy, mutual
cooperation between the government and the opposition helps to
establish it in the country.

Governance needs some parameters to make it good. From the above

definitions, we can be said that good governance has some
Characteristics or indicators for the establishment of sound economic
management and ensuring the relationship between the state and civil
society. From the study of World Bank documents and several studies,
there are 
8 major characteristics of good governance. These are mentioned
below-

1. Participation
2. Rule of Law
3. Transparency
4. Responsiveness
5. Consensus Oriented
6. Equity and Inclusiveness
7. Effectiveness and Efficiency
8. Accountability
 1. Participation

The participation of citizens in the process of governance is the key

characteristics of good governance. Participation as an important step
for mobilizing people to participate in the decision-making process. It can
be direct or indirect but Participation needs to be informed and
organized. The aims and objectives of the political rights would be
fulfilled by the greater participation of the people in the society. The legal
framework represents the rule of law which ensures impartiality in terms
of participation in the decision-making process of governance.

2. Rule of Law 

Another important characteristic of good governance is rule of law. It

needs a fair legal framework to establish rule of law in society. Rule of
law ensures impartiality which helps to protect human rights, particularly
who is most marginal in society. The Independent judiciary system, its
impartial nature, and the incorruptible police force are the key element to
ensure rule of law.
3. Transparency 

Governance needs transparency for the fair delivery of services to the

citizens. It ensures a balance between policymaking and its enforcement
following proper rules and regulations. It enables the citizen to access
governmental information regarding various policies and their
implementation freely. Proper media should be established for an easy
understanding of this information.

4. Responsiveness 

Responsiveness has a basic necessity of the administration which can

motivate the interrelationships between administration and people. It
requires sufficient services to the people within a specific time.

5. Consensus Oriented

Governance depends on the consensus of people in society to make it

good. It could fulfill the interest of the people as well as the community. It
helped to achieve the long-term perspective of human development. And
it originated from the social culture and institutional behaviors of the
particular society.  
6. Equity and Inclusiveness

An equitable just society must be established for ensuring good

governance. Society’s well being depends on how its members feel
about it. It requires all its members feel that they have a stake in it and
they are not excluded from the mainstream in the governance.

7. Effectiveness and Efficiency: 

Effectiveness and efficiency ensure the outcomes of the institutions to

meet the needs of society. Proper utilization of society’s resources for
the establishment of sustainable development is the key to good
governance. It also ensures the sustainable use of natural resources for
the protection of the environment.

8. Accountability 

Accountability is one of the most important characteristics of good

governance. Good governance depends on how accountable
Governmental as well as private sectors and civil society organization to
their people and its institutional stakeholders.  Without transparency and
rule of law, accountability cannot be established.

Lack of Accountability

1. A common reason usually cited for inefficiency in governance is

the inability within the system to hold the Civil Services
accountable for their actions.
2. Seldom are disciplinary proceedings initiated against delinquent
government servants and imposition of penalties is even rarer.
3. It is primarily because at most levels authority is divorced from
accountability leading to a system of realistic and plausible alibis.
4. Cumbersome disciplinary procedures have added to the general
apathy towards discipline in Government. Moreover, the
safeguards provided to civil servants, – which were well-
intentioned – have often been misused.
5. Another reason for the lack of accountability is that performance
evaluation systems within the government have not been
effectively structured.
 6. The complacency that the system breeds have resulted in
employees adopting an apathetic or lackadaisical attitude towards
citizens and their grievances.

Low Levels of Awareness of the Rights and Duties of Citizens

1. Inadequate awareness about their rights prevents citizens from

holding erring government servants to account.
2. Similarly, low levels of compliance of Rules by the citizens also act
as an impediment to good governance; When citizens do not
adhere to their duties they infringe on the freedom and rights of
other citizens. Thus, awareness of rights and adherence to duties
are two sides of the same coin.
3. A vigilant citizenry, fully aware of its rights as well its duties, is
perhaps the best way to ensure that officials as well as other
citizens, discharge their duties effectively and honestly.

Weak Civil Society

1. Good governance is badly affected by weak civil society

institutions.
2. Civil society bridges the gap between the governed and the
government. It checks the growth of unethical practices.
3. But, when the Civil Society institutions are weakened or they are
absent the gap between people and the government gets widened.

Ineffective Implementation of Laws and Rules

1. There is a large body of laws in the country, each legislated with

different objectives – maintaining public order and safety,
maintaining sanitation and hygiene, protecting rights of citizens,
giving special protection to the vulnerable sections etc.
2. Effective implementation of these laws creates an environment
that would improve the welfare of all citizens and at the same time,
encourage each citizen to contribute his best towards the
development of society.
3. On the other hand, weak implementation can cause a great deal of
hardship to citizens and even erode the faith of the citizenry in the
government machinery.
Red Tapism

1. Bureaucracies the world over are expected to adhere to rules and

procedures which are, of course, important for good governance.
However, at times, these rules and procedures are ab-initio ill-
conceived and cumbersome and, therefore, do not serve their
purpose.
2. Also, government servants sometimes become overly preoccupied
with rules and procedures and view these as an end in
themselves. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh while
emphasizing procedural reforms, stated:

“Very often, the most difficult area of reform in government is a process

and procedural reform. No amount of investment in capabilities and
technologies can improve performance and service delivery beyond a
point if we continue to be prisoners of archaic procedures and
processes. Often, policy reform measures do not deliver the desired
outcomes because of a lack of forwarding movement in the reform of
government processes. This is after all, what gives rise to the so-called
Inspector Raj. This is what makes the interface of a common citizen with
the government a cumbersome and daunting affair. This is often the root
cause of corruption as well.”

Lack of strong institutions of governance

1. Governance functions with the Governance. Overview support of

various institutions such as the legislature, executive, and the
judiciary, with a clear separation of power.
2. If these institutions succumb to illegal and unethical pressures, and
they fail to perform their designated functions, then the institutions
get weakened.
3. This results in the failure of the process of governance and
hampers development initiatives

Challenges to Good Governance

Criminalization of Politics

 According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 43% of

Members of Parliaments of Lok Sabha 2019 are facing
criminal charges. It is a 26% increase as compared to 2014.
 The criminalisation of the political process and the unholy
nexus between politicians, civil servants, and business houses
 are having a baneful influence on public policy formulation and
governance.
 The political class as such is losing respect. Therefore, it is
necessary to amend Section 8 of the Representation of the
People’s Act 1951 to disqualify a person against whom the
criminal charges that relate to grave and heinous offenses and
corruption are pending.
Corruption

 Corruption is a major obstacle in improving the quality of

governance. While human greed is obviously a driver of
corruption, it is the structural incentives and poor enforcement
system to punish the corrupt that have contributed to the rising
curve of graft in India.
 According to the Corruption Perception Index - 2019 (released
by Transparency International, India's ranking has slipped
from 78 to 80.
Gender Disparity

 According to Swami Vivekananda, “it is impossible to think

about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women
is improved. It is impossible for a bird to fly on only one wing”.
 One way to assess the state of the nation is to study the status
of its women. As women comprise almost 50% of the
population it is unfair that they are not adequately represented
in government institutions and other allied sectors.
 Therefore, in order to ensure good governance it is essential
to ensure the empowerment of women.
Growing incidence of violence

 Resorting to illegal force is considered to be a law and order

problem. But when one looks at it from the point of view of the
principles of Good Governance, it becomes clear that peace
and order is the first step to development.
Delay in Justice

 A citizen has the right to avail timely justice, but there are
several factors, because of that a common man doesn't get
timely justice.
Centralisation of Administrative System

 Governments at lower levels can only function efficiently if they

are empowered to do so. This is particularly relevant for the
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which currently suffer from
inadequate devolution of funds as well as functionaries to
carry out the functions constitutionally assigned to them.
Marginalization of Socially and Economically Backward People

 The socially and economically backward sections of the

society have always been marginalised in the process of
development. Although there are constitutional provisions for
their upliftment but in practice, they are lagging behind in so
many areas like education, economic well being etc.