The Attributes Of Good Governance
The Attributes Of Good Governance
1. Rightsizing governmental functions:
It is essential that the role of the state is primarily to the care functions that cannot be performed by the markets. There is a need to identify those care areas. Security, law and order, social services, creation of infrastructure, and macroeconomic management are some areas.
We must strengthen the existing ones, and set up new, autonomous regulatory agencies with quasi-judicial powers, in order to ensure that the functioning of private units are regulated in the interests of society.
All actions that do not involve formulation of policy should be given to executive agencies, cooperative and non-governmental organizations, with a caution that these autonomous bodies should play a supplementary and complementary role to other public organizations.
2. Greater use of information technology and management techniques:
The public offices can be made effective and efficient through computerized information system. We must reduce, or, even abolish all unwarranted reports and returns. Greater delegation of powers and level jumping can also leads to greater efficiency.
Simplification of office procedures, standardization of job output, and introduction of appraisal by result, would help in boosting efficiency.
Performance budgeting and zero base budgeting along with efficiency cum performance audit would ensure greater accountability.
3. Delegation, ethics and participation
One of the basic requirements of good governance is responsive administration, which in turn, depends on:
- Delegation and devolution of authority and responsibility.
- Adhere to clearly defined ethical standards, and
- The process of consultation and participation in decision making.
The need for a civil service court and a charter of ethics is being felt to maintain the confidence of the people, and to build up credibility of public institutions for good governance.
Similarly, a code of conduct is needed to define, specifically, the relationship between civil servants and politicians.
The constitution of a high powered civil service board or Commission, or the extension of the jurisdiction of the existing Public Service Commission may guard against postings, transfers, and promotions.
The proposed machinery can also act as a Civil Services Ombudsman. This is being advocated in many countries.
4. Ensuring accountability:
Another the most important item contributing to good governance is public accountability.
Accountability should not only be confined to the functioning of public organizations, it should also become an integral part of the broader aspect of governance in a civil society.
It necessitates the citizens orientation to public organizations involving adherence to declared standards of performance, sharing of information, openness, and a system of providing choice and consultation to the citizens. Greater transparency in different aspects of the functioning of public authorities is needed.
Easy accessibility, by citizens, to the information relating to government operations and its decisions and performance is an essential aspect of good governance. The citizen’s charter should be extended to all public organizations dealing with service sector.
Further towards good governance, empowerment of citizens in general and vulnerable section in particular (decentralization), empowerment of grass root functionaries (delegation), dispersal of political- administrative power (democratization), privatization, contracting out and removing delays and rigidity in public organizations (debureaucratisation) are essential alternatives for application of good governance and countering challenges faced in application of good governace3.
5. Institutional reforms
Four principal goals of the re-arrangement of administrative structure have been identified by Mosher. They are: changing policy and programmes; improving administrative effectiveness; solving personal problems; and, countering pressures and threats from outside organizations.
There is a distinction between reform and change. The change is a self adjusting organizational response to changing conditions, while reform becomes necessary to remedy the malfunctioning of the natural administrative process.
Centralized Governance
A state centric approach is favoured for conceptualizing a coherent centre, a global referential, a sense of direction, of scalar hierarchy, of equal treatment, of inalienable rights guaranteed by state acting in the general interest. In this framework, the primary decision making authority is vested in the central government.
The Constitution makers favoured a strong centre, because of the conditions prevailing then, such as a lack of industrial development, the need; for balanced regional development, a large population living in poverty, scarcity of resources, and most importantly the fissiparous tendencies in many parts of the country which threatened its unity and integrity.
The leadership at that time of independence decided to opt for a democratic system of governance with a socialist pattern of society.
The public sector was envisaged to be the engine of growth and economic development in the ‘mixed economy’ by gaining commanding heights in the economy Thus, three lists were obtained – Union, State, and Concurrent. These lists enumerated subjects which determined the primary decision making authority.
Consequently, the resource generation capacity of the central government increased manifold, and states, in general, became dependent on the centre, for their investment and other spending requirements. This helped the centre to have greater control over states.
One party dominance of a sufficient period of time led to consolidation of the centralization tendencies. The biggest instrument in exercising, or perpetuating, the Centre’s control over the states was centralized planning.
The advocates of centralized governance argue that the lower level governments are too close to the people to be effective instrument of desirable changes. They would be reluctant in imposing taxes and implementing schemes in the larger interest of the population. They might instead indulge in favoritism.
Another assumption is that higher level governments are more enlightened and have higher capacity of policy making and efficient service delivery.
Many proponents claim that if the responsibility of service delivery is delegated to local government, the quality of service will be degraded, as the Central government is likely to invest more in improving the skills and technical knowledge of its personnel as they may stay longer in the same position.
Decentralization and Decentralized Governance
Discourse on good governance has led governments, the world over, to move towards decentralization, and subsequently, towards democratic decentralization, giving more authority to local government systems.
Decentralization refers to a process through which more autonomy is bestowed upon lower level of institutions, and, more specially, through the transfer of power to democratically elected bodies. There are different ways to grant autonomy.
- Devolution: It refers to the transfer of power to the lower levels of government, form the national level to the state level, or from the state level to local government levels.
- Deconcentration: Through deconcentration, the power is transferred to a sub unit, which ensures that the control of the government concerned remains Decentralized Governance intact, while functional autonomy enables the sub unit to perform efficiently
- Delegation: In delegating power, limited responsibilities are transferred to a lower level office to reduce the burden of decision making. Delegation does not reduce the accountability of the authority which has delegated power.
Democratic Decentralization
The government translates this will of the people into laws and policies, and then, implements it through its bureaucracy. The emphasis on discarding the top down approach has led to a search for effective alternatives. Democratic decentralization has emerged as the most appropriate and most recommended solution.
Increasing needs and aspirations, and the rising expectation of citizens put pressure on the capacity of the centralized governance institutions to formulate and implement sound policies, and to deliver public services. The move towards decentralization is aimed towards enhancing this capacity which is at the core of good governance.
The assumption is that it would increase the effectiveness of the government through improved quality of policy formulation, as it would be synchronized with reality on the ground; streamline the bureaucracy, as it would increase the interface with the citizens, and, make it more accountable; and to vide improved service delivery by a responsive bureaucracy.
Decentralization has emerged as the key element in the present thought on improving governance.
Despite the call for a reduced role of the state, the fact remains that the government is the most powerful institution in any society, and retains a monopoly on the use of coercive power.
This makes it imperative to establish and maintain a system of checks and balances with regard to the exercise of power. Decentralized governance is a significant measure to implement and exercise such check and balances.
Decentralized serves to create additional civic space as well. By generating more centres of power, there are inevitably more venues in which civil society organizations can develop and find sustenance, which contribute significantly to the creation of non-governmental centres of authority and power within a society.
These centres of power can serve to hold government accountable. Additionally, decentralization enhances accountability. In the principal agent framework, the authority is brought closer to the population, which provides the citizenry with a greater sense of political efficacy.
Participatory Governance
The idea of participatory governance has gained enormous popularity in recent times. The right to participate in development process creates a sense of ownership of masses, therefore, it has high intrinsic values. It is well said, that, the right to development is not simply as right to enjoy the fruits of development, but is a right to participate in the process of realizing development.
However, for the effective implementation of various development programmes, and effective people’s participation, the process of decentralized governance emphasize.
Public participation seeks the involvement of those who are targeted as beneficiaries. Those are affected by decision needs to participate in the decision making process.
The participatory processes viewed as the facilitator and inclusiveness, the desire to participation of the whole community or society. Public participation is a part of people-centred or human-centric principles.
In this respect, public participation challenges logic of centralized hierarchy and paradigm shift. It advances the alternative idea, that collective decision making is better than one, further argues that public participation can sustain productive and durable change. Public participation is viewed as a tool that is intended to the informed planning, organizing and funding of activities.