Public Administration

Lesson 3
 The Concept of Governance
• GOVERNMENT A group of people that governs
a community or unit. It sets and administers
public policy and exercises executive, political
and sovereign power through customs,
institutions, and laws within a state.
• A government can be classified into many
types--democracy, republic, monarchy,
aristocracy, and dictatorship are just a few.
 The Concept of Governance
• GOVERNANCE is the exercise of political,
economic and administrative authority to
manage a nation’s affairs.
• Governance embraces all of the methods –
good and bad – that societies use to distribute
power and manage public resources and
problems.
• To govern is to exercise power and authority
over a territory system or organization
 Governance and government
• Governance and government are synonymous in
most dictionaries both denoting the exercise of
authority in an organization, institution or state.
• To better understand their distinction the author
aimed to answer these through the following
questions.
• 1. What activities are involved in the act of
governing? RULE,ORCHESTRATE, CONTROL, LEAD,
MANAGE. Government rules and controls but in a
state of governance it orchestrates and manages.
 Governance

• A cornerstone of good governance is

adherence to the, that is, the impersonal and
impartial application of stable and predictable
laws, statutes, rules, and regulations, without
regard for social status or political
considerations.
 Governance

• Governance chooses management over

control because its system is permeable,
admits outside influences, assumes no
omnipotence or omniscience on the part of
the decision makers and subjects decisions to
the evaluation and critique of all those with a
stake in them.
• All governing is an act of leadership moving
society towards a preferred direction.
 The Actors of Governance
• State is the enabler. To enable is to make
changes in the law and incentive structure and
to develop local capacity rather than to
manage resources or to deliver services
directly.
• Creation of a government which creates an
enabling setting within which the people can
be more effective in meeting those needs.
 The Actors of Governance
• Civil Society - consists of the complex of citizens
and groups outside government but working in a
public arena. Sometimes called non government
organizations, or the non profit or voluntary
sector.
• They attempt to represent the interest of the
inarticulate and the excluded or marginalized to
organize them to raise their voices on social
issues and own their issues.
• They get organized and contest the power of the
state to show alternative ways of service
provision and policy formulation.
 The Actors of Governance
• NGO’s may engage in the critique of existing
government policy and may challenge
government by competing with government’s
own delivery systems.
• NGOs may likewise mobilize people to prove
themselves eligible to receive government
social services
 The Actors of Governance
• MARKET- This refers to the stakeholders or
those who will benefit from the services given
by government.
• They can also be referred to as those
governed.
 Processes Pushing for Governance
• Quest for growth and development- here the
state became the principal planner, energizer
and promoter and director of the accelerated
development effort.
• The state has a role in planning for the whole
economy and society and also create
enterprise.
Processes Pushing for Governance
• The Environment Movement The concept of
development from the exclusive focus on
economic growth to the inclusion of
distributional goals like reduction of poverty and
inequality to the current battle cry for
“sustainable human development”.
• Redefined public interest with nature as a
recognized stakeholder.
• This movement underscores that that no single
sector can manage the demands of society and
the environment by itself
 Processes Pushing for Governance
• Globalization espouses a free market Creation of
an international network with the use of e
technology and the sourcing of products from the
cheapest markets available.
• Most countries have to join the World Trade
Organization and restructure their laws to
provide safety nets and bureaucracies to overhaul
their regulatory governance mechanism.
• The World Bank and the United Nations likewise
has roles to play in funding projects and ensure
that the rights of people are respected.
Processes Pushing for Governance
• Consolidating Peace- Need to consolidate
peace in war-torn nations. This requires
bringing together former adversaries beyond
the discussion table to seek peace and
reconciliation.
• It is impossible to build a nation without
peace. This also gives a chance for former
rebels to go back to society and redeem
themselves and be a part of the change.
 Criteria For Good Governance
• Good governance has 8 major characteristics.
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 future needs of society.
 Participation
• Participation by both men and women is a key
cornerstone of good governance. Participation
could be either direct or through legitimate
intermediate institutions or representatives.
• It is important to point out that representative
democracy does not necessarily mean that the
concerns of the most vulnerable in society would
be taken into consideration in decision making.
• Participation needs to be informed and
organized. This means freedom of association
and expression on the one hand and an organized
civil society on the other hand.
 Rule of law
• Good governance requires fair legal
frameworks that are enforced impartially. It
also requires full protection of human rights,
particularly those of minorities.
• Impartial enforcement of laws requires an
independent judiciary and an impartial and
incorruptible police force.
 Transparency
• Transparency means that decisions taken and
their enforcement are done in a manner that
follows rules and regulations.
• It also means that information is freely
available and directly accessible to those who
will be affected by such decisions and their
enforcement.
• It also means that enough information is
provided and that it is provided in easily
understandable forms and media.
 Consensus oriented
• There are several actors and as many view points
in a given society. Good governance requires
mediation of the different interests in society to
reach a broad consensus in society on what is in
the best interest of the whole community and
how this can be achieved.
• It also requires a broad and long-term
perspective on what is needed for sustainable
human development and how to achieve the
goals of such development. This can only result
from an understanding of the historical, cultural
and social contexts of a given society or
community.
 Equity and inclusiveness
• A society’s well being depends on ensuring
that all its members feel that they have a stake
in it and do not feel excluded from the
mainstream of society.
• This requires all groups, but particularly the
most vulnerable, have opportunities to
improve or maintain their well being.
 Effectiveness and efficiency
• Good governance means that processes and
institutions produce results that meet the
needs of society while making the best use of
resources at their disposal.
• The concept of efficiency in the context of
good governance also covers the sustainable
use of natural resources and the protection of
the environment.
 Accountability
• Accountability is a key requirement of good
governance.
• Not only governmental institutions but also the private
sector and civil society organizations must be
accountable to the public and to their institutional
stakeholders.
• Who is accountable to whom varies depending on
whether decisions or actions taken are internal or
external to an organization or institution.
• In general an organization or an institution is
accountable to those who will be affected by its
decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced
without transparency and the rule of law.
 Responsiveness

• Good governance requires that institutions

and processes try to serve all stakeholders
within a reasonable timeframe.
 Thanks!
erueleroma@gmail.com
 References:
• Cariño, L. V. (2003). Introduction to Public
Administration in the Philippines (The Concept
of Governance). Quezon City: University of the
Philippines.
• https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/g
ood-governance.pdf