GOOD GOVERNANCE 1

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ABSTRACT

Mankind has gone through various paradigms of governance. The history bears the testimony of
it throughout the evolution of the homo sapiens. It has come long way from the flourish of
ancient civilizations to the greek concept of democracy to the reign of monarchs to the thorny
paths of dictatorship to the present system of democracy to reach its exalted state of grandeur.
Some etched deep marks while some were forgotten. The ultimate reason for the fall of various
forms of governance was the seek for “government of the people by the people and for the
people” as addressed by Abraham Lincoln in the historic Gettsyburg Address on 19th
November, 1863. For the reason of “good governance”. The purpose of this paper is to through
a light on evolution of idea of good governance, the problems and challenges faced at present in
the path to attain it and approaches to overcome it. The following qualitative research is based on
secondary data collected on secondary data collected from book journals, website, newspapers e.tc.

KEYWORDS: Democracy, Good Governance, Government Policies, Sustainable

Development Goals, Justice

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INTRODUCTION

Ever wondered what if the sparks generated by striking stones had not ignited the minds of
primitive man with the series of cascading thoughts. What if the rolling ability of the wheel had
failed to trigger his curiosity on the unresolved and unacknowledged mysteries of the natural
phenomena. The utility of these tools might seem trivial at present but had not these tools the
tools were put into application the story altogether have might be different. The adaption of new
tools has the key to continuous progress and growth of the mankind. Further welcoming a wide
set of advancement in the governance. Now, here the question arises what is governance and
how it is associated in the welfare of people?
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Governance is the process of decision making and dynamic exercise of power and policy while
the government being the instrument which exercises it. As evident from the fact it is the
decision made the exercise of power to govern is towards the upliftment of the society and
maintain solidarity, integrity, sovereignty which can be vested by effective growth, equality and
justice is provided to every individual without ignoring the needs of future generations. It can be
used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, e- governance,
national governance and local governance.

In the 1992 report entitled “Governance and Development”, the World Bank set out its definition
of Good Governance. It defined Good Governance as “the manner in which power is exercised in
the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development”. In 1997, the
Bank redefined the concept “good governance” as a necessary precondition for development. So,
the central focus is to see how the government enables, simplifies and authorises its people,
regardless of the differences in caste, creed, class, religion, sex and political ideology and social
origin to think, and take certain decisions which will be in the best interest of them, and which
will enable them to lead a clean, decent, happy, and autonomous existence. Good Governance
manages and allocates resources to respond to combined problems of its citizens. Hence states
should be assessed on both the quality and the quantity of public goods provided to citizens. The
policies that supply public goods are guided by principles such as human rights, democratization
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and democracy, transparency, participation and decentralized power sharing, sound public
administration, accountability, rule of law, effectiveness, equity, and strategic vision.

The Human Development Report issued insists on “good” governance as a democratic exigency,
in order to rid corruption, provides rights, the means, and the capacity to participate in the
decisions that affect their lives and to hold their governments accountable for what they do.

So, briefly speaking Good Governance is an approach to government that is committed to

creating a system founded in justice and peace that protects individual’s human rights and
civil liberties. According to the United Nations, Good Governance is characterized by the
following factors- Participation, Rule of Law, Transparency, Responsiveness, Consensus
Oriented, Equity and Inclusiveness, Effectiveness and Efficiency, and Accountability.

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“GOOD” ABOUT GOVERNANCE- THE SCRUTINY OF IT IN THE

BACKDROP OF SOCIO, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ANGLES

Kautilya in his treatise Arthashastra propounded the qualities of good governance by the ruling
potentate as follows: In the happiness of his subject lies his happiness, in their welfare his
welfare, whatever please himself he shall not consider good. India follows republic, democratic
and secular form of governance, and the values that are enshrined in our constitution. The term
“governance” means a political unit for the functioning of policy-making for both the political
and administrative units of Government. Good governance is based on the conviction that man
has the ethical and rational ability, as well as the absolute right, to govern himself with motive
and just. The concept of good governance is associated with capable and real administration in
democratic sector.

So, there are eight basic elements to determine good governance. These are Participation, Rule of
Law, Transparency, Responsiveness, Consensus Oriented, Equity and Inclusiveness,
Effectiveness and Efficiency, and Accountability. So, it is participatory, consensus oriented,
accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows
the rule of law. It assures 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. It is
also responsive to the present and fixture needs of society.

Good governance requires that civil society has the opportunity to participate by both men and
women during the formulation of development strategies. This aspect of governance is an
essential element in securing commitment and support for projects and enhancing the quality of
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their implementation. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of
association and expression and an organized civil society should go hand in hand.

Good governance requires a fair, predictable and stable legal framework enforced impartially.
Full protection of human rights, especially minorities should be covered. Impartial law
enforcement requires a judiciary to be independent and police force should be impartial and
incorruptible.

Transparency in government is an important precondition for good governance, and those

decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It
ensures that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable
forms and media.

Good governance requires the institutions to serve all stakeholders in a given time-frame. There
are several actors and viewpoints and the different interests in society needs mediation. The best
interest of the community should be analysed and achieved which requires a broad and long-term
perspective on what is needed and how to achieve the goals of sustainable development.

A society’s wellbeing depends on ensuring that all men and women have opportunities to
improve or maintain their well-being. This requires all groups, especially the most vulnerable,
should have opportunities to improve or maintain their standards of life.

Good governance means Processes and institutions produce results that meet needs while making
the best use of resources. The concept of efficiency covers the sustainable use of natural
resources and the protection of the environment.

It is a key requirement of good governance. Both Public and private sector and civil society
organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. An
organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or
actions. Accountability can be enforced only with transparency and the rule of law.

Rule of law supports the demand for equity and fairness and means to be impartial, not corrupt
and to protect the human rights of all. These are the leading criteria becoming benchmarks one
has to keep in mind when striving for good Governance in the decision-making processes.

In practical terms, there are three particular features of good governance that makes it
significance in the working of the government. First, the empowerment and capacity of
government to frame and implement policies and discharge functions. Second, the form of
political will.Third, the process by which authority is exercised in the management of country’s
economic and social resources for development.
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It also reflects the attitudes of the people towards the functioning of the so many agencies of the
government. “Good” governance promotes gender equality, sustains the environment, enables
citizens to exercise personal freedoms, and provides tools to reduce poverty, deprivation, fear,
and violence. The UN views good governance as participatory, transparent and accountable. It
encompasses state institutions and their operations and includes private sector and civil society
organizations.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE PRESENT SCENARIO- CRISIS OR

QUANDARY?

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown where the cracks lie in the inter-related levels of global,
national and local governance. Good governance is crucial in responding to a crisis. But it’s a
precious commodity that, if mishandled, has consequences as deadly as those it seeks to resolve.

For example, in 1665 when the Great Plague swept England, Londoners were asked by
authorities to kill cats and dogs, and fill the rooms of the ill with tobacco smoke. These moves
were famously counter-productive, not only choking the afflicted, but crucially allowing free-
from-harm rats to multiply and thereby spread the plague bacteria via the fleas that lived on
them.

Challenges to Good Governance

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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..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”. Therefore, in order to ensure good governance it is essential to ensure the
empowerment of women.

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- Good Governance is an approach to government that

committed to creating a system founded in justice and peace that protects individual’s human
rights and civil liberties.
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Rule of Law is exemplified by impartial legal systems that protect the human rights and civil
liberties of all citizens, particularly minorities. This is indicated by an independent judicial
branch and a police force free from corruption.

Transparency means that citizens understand and have access to the means and manner in which
decisions are made, especially if they are directly affected by such decisions. This information
must be provided in an understandable and accessible format, typically translated through the
media.

Responsiveness simply involves that institutions respond to their stakeholders within a

reasonable time frame.

Consensus Oriented is demonstrated by an agenda that seeks to mediate between the many
different needs, perspectives, and expectations of a diverse citizenry. Decisions needs to be made
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in a manner that reflects a deep understanding of the historical, cultural, and social context of the
community.

Equity and Inclusiveness depends on ensuring that all the members of a community feel included
and empowered to improve or maintain their well being, especially those individuals and groups
that are the most vulnerable.

Effectiveness and Efficiency is developed through the sustainable use of resources to meet the
needs of a society. Sustainability refers to both ensuring social investments carry through and
natural resources are maintained for future generations.

Accountability refers to institutions being ultimately accountable to the people and one another.
This includes government agencies, civil society, and the private sector all being accountable to
one another as well.

Creative Learning Does Good Governance- Creative Learning’s training methodology is founded
in experiential education that involves interactive simulations, site visits, workshops, and many
other tools designed to bring theory to practice. You can read more about Creative Learning’s
recent programs here.

Marginalization of Socially and Economically Backward People- 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.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.

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OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES IN THE ADMIST OF THE

VENEGANCE LAID UPON BY NATURE

The question of “how to improve governance?” is, of course, the most pressing from a policy
perspective. However, this question cannot be rigourously answered without better addressing
the concept of good governance: “how to improve what exactly?”. These points are discussed in
greater depth in my forthcoming working paper, “Good Governance as a Concept, and Why This
Matters for Development Policy”. The paper provides a review of donor approaches to
governance, discusses conceptual issues in greater depth, and argues that one promising way
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forward is to disaggregate the concept of “good governance” and to refocus our attention and
analysis on its various disaggregated components (e.g., democracy, civil and political rights,
public sector management).

In short, the term “good governance” has become a catchy shorthand way to describe a variety of
political and economic institutions and outcomes . The citizens are ready to pay the price for
good services offered by the state, but what is required is a transparent, accountable and
intelligible governance system absolutely free from bias and prejudices. There is a need to
reformulate our national strategy to accord primacy to the Gandhian principle of ‘Antyodaya” to
restore good governance in the country.India should also focus on developing probity in
governance, which will make the governance more ethical. The government should continue to
work on the ideals of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas which will lead to inclusive
and sustainable development. Probity is a quality of having strong moral principles. It includes
having integrity, uprightness.

The objectives of probity in governance are: to ensure accountability in governance, to maintain

integrity in Public Service, to ensure compliance with the process, to preserve public confidence
in government process and to avoid the potential for misconduct, fraud, and corruption.

METHODOLOGY
Qualitative research based on secondary data collected on secondary data collected from book
journals, website, newspapers e.tc.

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FINDINGS
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 The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a historic economic downturn leaving millions
unemployed, and Black Lives Matter protests have reignited discussions about systemic
racism, inequality as well as police reform and endless list of overwhelming social
injustices.

 A recent federal report found that in 2020, worldwide income gap was the largest it’s
ever been in 50 years. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, that divide will most likely be
much bigger. Social workers play a critical role in assisting those struggling. Also, pay
disparities can be a factor at play, based on both race, gender and sexuality. Even in the
field of social work, the gender pay gap exists, where there is a significant difference in
how men and women are compensated for the same work.

 The need of hour is to ensure the proper and balanced implementation of policies so as to
make social justice an effective vehicle of social progress. Successive governments have
attempted to meet the basic needs of people by spending large sums of money on various
subsidies, a variety of employment generation and poverty alleviation schemes, a
phenomenal amount of resources are wasted, a very small percentages is sustained and
used.
 Without administrative and political decentralisation the goals of social justice may not
be accomplished. Letting people decide what their development needs are will not only
generate social and political awareness among them but also instill a sense of self-respect
and build strong leadership at basic community levels.
 Switching to democracy changes the way bureaucrats are promoted. Democratization
amplified the positive effects of educational attainment on career advancement but
simultaneously worsened the career prospects of female and religious minority civil
servants.

 Switching to democracy changes the way bureaucrats are promoted. Democratization

amplified the positive effects of educational attainment on career advancement but
simultaneously worsened the career prospects of female and religious minority civil
servants.

 Affirmative action has no impact on the quality of district-level implementation of the

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Bureaucrats assigned
to their home states are perceived to be more corrupt and less able to withstand
illegitimate political pressure.

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CONCLUSION

Participatory administration and good governance as ideas are quite attractive. But in practical
field these two still remain as lofty ideals. Modern public administration is highly complex and
naturally people have very little or even no scope to participate and ensure good governance. In
the age of globalisation the public administration of a particular state is not detached from the
rest of the world. If we look at the world situation we shall find very few multinational
corporations, non-governmental organisations and the Bretton Woods Institutions are practically
controlling the world economy and they are doing it in favour of the highly developed countries
of the First World.

Even the role of the nation-state has considerably shrunk. Both the printing and electronic media
are engaged in propagating the ideas and objectives of MNCs and NGOs. The highly
exaggerated propaganda has enough power to befool the common people. In many developing
nations the administration or governance is dwindling or in a “moribund” (to use the phrase of
V.I. Lenin) situation, people’s participation and good governance are simply wishful thinking.

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REFRENCES

1. www.worldscientific.com

2. www.yourarticlelibrary.com

3. blogs.worldbank.org

4. www.bos.rs

5. www.researchgate.net

6. lens.monash.edu

7. www.lse.ac.uk

8. Moderndiplomacy.eu
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9. www.dhristiias.com

10.www.wikipedia.com

11.pinopulse.com