Pilgrim Christian College

Akut-Tiano St., Cagayan de Oro City

TERM PAPER TO

Management 22

In-Partial Fulfillment
BSA-3

Submitted by:
Bryan T. Lluisma

Submitted to:
Ma. Lilaine D. Ramos,MBA
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION

 TOPICS
-The needs for good governance
-Democracy and Governance in Africa
-Governance and government
-Characteristics of Good Governance

 REFERENCES
 INTRODUCTION

Today, around three-quarters people affected by poverty live in countries whose economies
are dominated by the natural resources sector; this leads to the weakening of state structures
and the destruction of the environment, and it can give rise to or exacerbate social conflict.
Political democracy is a key ingredient in Africa's regeneration or renaissance. Without
political democracy our societies are condemned to be ruled by self-appointed dictators.
The broader progressive movement, including the labour movement has a crucial role in
fighting for political democracy in Africa. It is important that we root out corruption,
nepotism and create conditions for popular participation to flourish. Good governance is
not a luxury but a necessary condition for open, participatory, accountable and democratic
governance study.

Good governance is undoubtedly the most fundamental condition for political, Social and
Economic development in any society. This is because it creates an environment in which
everyone could unfold his/her productive, political and cultural potentials.
Governance entails the formulation and implementation of public policies across
organizational and sectoral boundaries through coalitions, contracts, and networks.

More so, improving the quality of governance is one of the major pre-conditions for
arresting this situation of political inertia and economic stagnation. It is one of the
important requirements for moving the country forward and transforming its immense
potentialities into reality. What must be avoided in the search of good governance is the
temptation to go for easy solutions. Only political and administrative solutions which are
rooted in the country’s indigenous culture and experiences have a credible chance of
succeeding. Good governance requires responsible and responsive political leaders
at the grass roots. These leaders must not only be elected but also be held accountable for
their action by their electorate. Good governance promotes accountability, entails the
tolerance of divergent view for the accommodation of political opponents and the
widening of the frontiers of politics through inclusiveness but not alienation and exclusion.
Consequently, good governance, must involve some institutionalized mechanism for
holding leaders accountable to the people, for renewing or withdrawing the mandate of
such leaders, and for ensuring probity and transparency in public affairs. It has been stated
that, Governance focuses on the state and institutions, and the relationship between them
and the people. It also emphasizes how rule are made and implemented in a society. Good
governance also embraces the values that one caught by individuals and groups within the
society.
TOPICS:

The Need for Good Governance

Good governance deals with how those who have the authority of the state make efforts to
achieve the goals or the end of the state, the maintenance of law and order, and the
provision of welfare for its citizens and the pursuit of natural interest in the global arena.
Governments therefore exist to achieve these ends. Western democracy insists that “good
governance” entails the existence of democratic institutions and value. Hence good
governance e must also be entrenched with zero or minimal tolerance for
corruption, promote true participatory democracy and rule of law in which justice
would be seen to be available and accessible by all irrespective of their class, creed or
ethnic affiliation. Promotion of good governance goes beyond the government sector and
includes all relevant actors from the private sector and society. The aim is to balance
interests and focus on common goals, particularly reducing poverty and providing access
to state services for all. To make administrative structures participative, efficient and
solution oriented. Good governance creates a strong future for an organization by
continuously steering towards a vision and making sure that day to day management is
always lined up with the organization’s goals. At its core, governance is about leadership.
An effective board will improve the organization’s results, both financial and social, and
make sure the owners' assets and funds are used appropriately. Poor governance can put
organizations at risk of commercial failure, financial and legal problems for directors or
trustees or allow an organization to lose sight of its purpose and its responsibilities to its
owners and people who benefit from its success. The Rights Based Approach to
governance implies that the holders of rights should also participate fully in deciding
how those rights are fulfilled, such as through participation and greater empowerment. And
as the Millennium Declaration emphasizes, one of the most important requirements for
achieving this and the MDG is “governance” The report points out that Africa has many
diverse forms of democratic governments. In some cases these have involved highly
centralized administrations that have offered a limited space for popular participation.
Nevertheless, in recent years there have been significant changes. One of the most
dramatic examples has been in Nigeria, which for decades until 1999 had a strongly
centralized military administration. Now the democratic Government in Nigeria has
offered free and fair elections for the past nineteen years. The Government of Nigeria is
determined to be more responsive and accountable to the public. A further governance
priority is the fight against corruption, which degrades the quality of governance and hits
hardest at the poorest.

Democracy and Governance in Africa

Africa's continuing reliance on foreign aid has increased the opportunities for bilateral and
multilateral aid agencies to influence policy making in the region. The major donors have
been meeting frequently in order to discuss development and debt problems and to devise
aid strategies for African governments. In turn, foreign aid has increasingly been linked to
a set of prescriptions for changes in both economic and political policies pursued by
African governments. The so-called new world order also has had significant effects on
African governments. As the influence and interest of the Soviet Union in Africa declined
(and later collapsed with its demise), Western states and the organizations they influence
gained considerably greater leverage over African governments, surpassing the general
client-dependent relationship of the 1970s and 1980s.

In the 1980s, the international financial institutions announced that the implementation of
structural adjustment and economic stabilization programs would be conditions for their
assistance to African governments. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and
the U.S. Agency for International Development took the lead in demanding policy changes,
such as currency devaluation, removal of subsidies for public services, reduction of state
intervention in agricultural pricing and marketing, greater concern to the development
needs of rural areas, privatization of parastatal bodies, and reduction in the size and cost of
the public sector.
In the early 1990s, donors began to show interest in promoting political change in addition
to economic reforms. Democratic political reforms were emphasized as key factors in the
determination of future economic assistance for Africa. The Development Advisory
Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is on record
in support of "participatory development," which includes democratization, improved
governance, and human rights. The condition that political reforms be undertaken is now
attached at least rhetorically to almost all Western aid. Actual donor practices vary: France
proposes greater liberty and democracy, Great Britain recommends good government, the
United States focuses on good governance, Japan talks about linking aid to reductions in
military expenditures. Yet, regardless of the approach, there is increasingly strong
agreement among donors that political reforms in Africa must result in reduced corruption
and more financial accountability, better observance of human rights, independent media
and an independent judiciary, participatory politics, and a liberalized market economy in
order to move closer to the ultimate goal of meaningful economic growth and development.

Governance and government

Governance and government Governance is a term which, from about 1990 on, has
progressed from obscurity to widespread usage. Not surprisingly, there are differences of
view as to what governance means. A not-uncommon tendency is to use governance as a
synonym for “government”. This confusion of terms can have unfortunate consequences.
For example, one of the “trends” “Governance and Good Governance: International and
Aboriginal Perspectives” Tim Plumptre & John Graham, Institute On Governance 2
seminars1 was exploring what should be done about a particular public policy issue. It was
agreed that the heart of the issue was a problem of “governance”. In this discussion,
however, “governance” and “government” were used interchangeably by most
participants. The consequence was that the policy issue became defined implicitly as a
problem of “government”, with the corollary that the onus for “fixing” it necessarily rested
with government. The idea that there might be other ways of addressing the problem, or
that other sectors of society might take the initiative in dealing with it, was not considered.
Thus, equating governance with government constrained the way in which the problem
was conceived and put blinders around the range of strategies that seemed available for
dealing with it. In short, confusion over terminology related to governance can have
important practical consequences: it may affect not only the definition of a problem but
also the policy analysis about how to resolve it. The need for governance as a concept
distinct from government began to manifest itself when government became an
organization apart from citizens rather than a process. In ancient Athens, reputedly the
cradle of democracy, we are told citizens met in the marketplace to deal with issues of
public concern. Government in such a setting was simply a process for dealing with issues.
Today, however, government is seldom defined as a process; it is instead seen as an
institution (or a set of institutions), one of several societal ‘players’ or actors. Government
became viewed as a discrete entity not only when it assumed an institutional form, but also
when representation became necessary. Without representation, government is ‘us’.
Indeed, in some Aboriginal languages, the concept of government means ‘our way of life’
or ‘our life’. Representation is inevitable in large societies, but it is inevitably imperfect.
Agents do not speak with the same authority as principals. So when the activities of
governments are directed by representatives rather than citizens themselves acting in
concert, they become something apart. Governance is about how governments and other
social organizations interact, how they relate to citizens, and how decisions get taken in an
increasingly complex world. To understand the idea of governance, it is important to
appreciate that interest in public issues is not confined to government. Other actors
including the media, and in some societies, the military and religious organizations as well
as business organizations, share an interest and sometimes a role in addressing public
issues. This list of other actors conducted as part of the “Trends Project” sponsored by the
federal government’s Policy Research Secretariat. For example, the Concise Oxford
Dictionary defines government as the “form of organization of State” or a “body of
successive bodies of persons governing a State; … an administration or Ministry.”
“Governance and Good Governance: International and Aboriginal Perspectives” Tim
Plumptre & John Graham, Institute On Governance should also include the non-profit
sector – sometimes referred to as civil society - encompassing voluntary agencies and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs). Governance defined Definitions of governance
abound. Governance is not, in fact, a new word, but its appearance in discussions about
social organization is a comparatively recent development. It lacks a satisfactory
translation in many languages. However its rapid progress into contemporary vocabulary
in English (and perhaps, in other languages) suggests there was a need for a word of this
kind. A recent international symposium of about 20 academics and “practitioners” traced
its roots back to the 17th or 18th century in English, and collected definitions from different
sources which illustrated the progressive widening of its meaning. The group’s rapporteur
noted, “The changed role of government and the changed environment in which it has to
discharge its role have brought governance into common usage as a process for which the
word ‘government’ is no longer sufficient.” Most writers about governance agree that it
has to do with taking decisions about direction. One definition we have found useful is,
governance is the art of steering societies and organizations. Some observers, however,
have wondered whether this formulation has connotations of top-down direction or control
that are too strong. Whether or not steering is the appropriate word, it seems clear to us that
governance involves the interactions among structures, processes and traditions that
determine how power is exercised, how decisions are taken, and how citizens or other
stakeholders have their say. Fundamentally, it is about power, relationships and
accountability: who has influence, who decides, and how decision makers are held
accountable. The concept may usefully be applied in different contexts – global, national,
and local; societal and institutional – as we shall see below. For a collection of some
definitions, see Demers, Maurice. A World Conference on Governance in Manila in June
1999 attracted over 850 participants from countries around the world. A study on the
incidence of articles on governance in development literature identified that while at the
start of the current decade, the subject received little attention, during the latter years of the
90s there has been almost geometric growth in articles on this topic. There are some
complexities in defining these sectors, but they need not concern us here. For example,
does government include state-owned corporations? What about partially owned
corporations? Are teachers or schools part of government? With respect to civil society
organizations: do they include organizations such as lobby groups whose goals are clearly
commercial? Is an organization such as a professional association for commercial entities
a business entity or a not-for-profit? Where do labour unions fit? Is the internet part of the
media? And what is the appropriate definition of civil society itself? There are different
points of view. For instance, government includes a component designated as “quasi-
government”. This represents the host of semi-governmental organizations that can be
found in most jurisdictions: state-owned corporation’s supervisory and regulatory boards,
special task forces and commissions, arm’s length agencies of various kinds, etc. In some
countries, this component of government is larger than the main body of departments and
ministries. This component shades into the private sector, since it typically involves various
forms of joint ventures and partnerships with that sector. “Governance and Good
Governance: International and Aboriginal Perspectives” Tim Plumptre & John Graham,
Institute on Governance expanding in many jurisdictions. Some functions previously
carried out by the state are being transferred to business; for example, in Canada, business
entities are now running many airports and NavCan, a not-for-profit organization, operates
the air navigation system. In at least one country, even customs operations, an important
source of government revenues, have been turned over to the private sector. There are many
similar examples. Shifts are also under way in the sphere of civil society, although the
pattern is less clear. In some jurisdictions, business is becoming more involved in the
operation of some social services, for example, the administration of home care programs.
Some governments have also spoken of the need to transfer functions to the voluntary
sector, expecting it to ‘take up the slack’ as government withdraws from funding. The idea
of governance makes it easier to have discussions about how communities or other social
actors can take action in collaboration with, or perhaps independently of, established
government structures to address issues of concern to citizens – community governance.
Governance also comes into play in circumstances of ‘government failure’ or incapacity –
that is, when governments lack the jurisdiction, capability, or interest to deal with a
problem of public concern. Governance and government incapacity Instances of
government incapacity are not uncommon. For example, governments may not act on an
issue due to lack of jurisdiction. Incapacity may also arise because government lacks the
skills, financial depth, administrative competence or flexibility to address the problem.
Likewise government may be unwilling to address a politically sensitive question,
preferring to live with a contentious problem rather than become embroiled in it (for
example, legislation on population control or abortion). More prosaically, incapacity may
arise if government leaders believe an issue is too small to warrant their attention, or if they
use their position to further personal ambitions rather than the needs of citizens. When
government does not or cannot act, other actors may do so. Citizens may get together to
clean up a neighborhood. “Public interest partnerships” may bring citizens, government
officials and business together – at the initiation of any of these players – to address some
question of general concern. For example, a journalist in the Philippines initiated a project
that started with children visiting the forest to learn about clean water. This initiative, which
became known as the “Baguio City Eco-Walk”, developed into a partnership which
involves hundreds of individuals, politicians and businesses, and which is helping to re-
establish the ecosystem of a threatened watershed area. Governments themselves are
experimenting today with many partnership arrangements within which politicians or
public servants share power with other sectors of society. These arrangements evolve for
various reasons: perhaps because it is recognized that “Governance and Good Governance:
International and Aboriginal Perspectives” Tim Plumptre & John Graham, Institute On
Governance 6 each group has a special contribution to make on a complex question, and
perhaps for more prosaic reasons, such as government’s desire to get access to business
capital. The prevalence of such new institutional relationships is starting to raise questions
about who should properly be involved in what. For example, some voices are beginning
to ask to what extent government should form alliances with business in areas of general
public interest such as education or health, and about the intrusion of private sector values
into these spheres: a classic example of a governance question. The importance of civil
society. The widespread use of partnerships between the public and voluntary sectors of
society has resulted in, among other things, increasing attention being paid to voluntary
and nonprofit organizations by governments and the academic community. In the United
Kingdom, for example, the government has signed formal “Compacts” with such
organizations in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to clarify roles and
establish ongoing fora for communication purposes. The federal government appears to be
following suit, judging from the 1999 Speech from the Throne: “The Government will
enter into a national accord with the voluntary sector, laying a new foundation for active
partnership with voluntary organizations in the service of Canadians.”11 Academic interest
in the sector has been enhanced thanks to the work of Robert Putnam12, an American
academic, who, based on extensive research in Italy, has advanced the thesis that sound
government is due in large measure to a healthy voluntary sector. His argument can be
summed up in the diagram below. The call for a renewed spirit of voluntarism, implicit in
the Putnam thesis, appears to have resonance among many Aboriginal people in Canada.
For example, at a recent conference on Aboriginal governance in urban settings held in
Winnipeg in 1998, speaker after speaker called for a return to voluntary activity in order to
strengthen Aboriginal communities. Several empirical studies appear to support the
Putnam arguments. For example, Lisa Young from the University of Alberta, using data
from the 1999 Alberta Civil Society Survey, found the evidence generally supportive of
the Putnam thesis at it relates to the purposes of this discussion we are defining civil society
as “the general name for the civic associations that citizens organize for social, charitable
and political purposes.

Characteristics of Good Governance

Participation – all men and women should have a voice in decision-making, either directly
or through legitimate intermediate institutions that represent their intention. Such broad
participation is built on freedom of association and speech, as well as capacities to
participate constructively.
Rule of Law– legal frameworks should be fair and enforced impartially, particularly the
laws on human rights.
Transparency – transparency is built on the free flow of information. Processes,
institutions and information are directly accessible to those concerned with them, and
enough information is provided to understand and monitor them.
Responsiveness - institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders.
Consensus orientation – good governance mediates differing interests to reach a broad
consensus on what is in the best interest of the group and, where possible, on policies and
procedures.
Equity – all men and women have opportunities to improve or maintain their wellbeing.
Effectiveness and efficiency – processes and institutions produce results that meet needs
while making the best use of resources.
Accountability – decision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society
organizations are accountable to the public, as well as to institutional stakeholders. This
accountability differs depending on the organizations and whether the decision is internal
or external.
Strategic vision – leaders and the public have a broad and long-term perspective on good
governance and human development, along with a sense of what is needed for such
development. There is also an understanding of the historical, cultural and social
complexities in which that perspective is grounded.
REFERENCES

Democratization in Africa: African Views, African Voices (1992) Chapter: Democracy

Adedeji, A. (2000). Renewal of the Search for System of Local Governance that can
serve theCommon Good. Lagos Nigeria: Heinemann Educational Books.
Aiyede, R., (2004) ‘United We Stand: Labour Unions and Human Rights NGOs in the
Democratisation Process in Nigeria’ Development in Practice, Vol. 14, No.1/2.
Akin, S.R. (2000). Balancing the Equation of Governance at the Grassroots. Lagos
Nigeria: Heinemann Education Books

https://iog.ca/docs/1999_December_govgoodgov , Tim Plumptre & John Graham