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From Governancevillage WIKI
Welcome to the Governance Village Encyclopedia.
This resource provides a way for those working, studying or advising on issues of governance related to international development from a Canadian perspective. The Governance Village Encyclopedia provides users with an interactive and informative tool that allows users to discover and define various definitions of governance and international development terminology. Users can add their own insight, definitions and comments on a regular basis to this growing resource. Although it is difficult to define terms of such complexity, we hope that this discourse will assist in fostering an emerging consensus on numerous issues of governance and international development.
Contents |
[edit] Defining Governance
Governance is broadly defined as "the formation and stewardship of the formal and informal rules that regulate the public realm, the arena in which state as well as economic and societal actors interact to make decisions."[1] Though development organizations and donor agencies define governance in different ways (see below), good governance is widely recognized as necessary for long-term sustainable development.
[edit] Definitions of Governance
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA): Governance encompasses the values, rules, institutions, and processes through which people and organizations attempt to work towards common objectives, make decisions, generate authority and legitimacy, and exercise power.
UK Department for International Development: Governance is about power and how it is used. Good governance ensures that this power is used to the benefit of all groups in society, including poor people. Governance therefore is about relationships between citizens and the state. These relationships are influenced by institutions, the way in which rules – formal (laws and regulations) and informal (shaped by tradition and culture) – affect the way people relate to each other.
World Bank: The traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised for the common good. This includes (i) the process by which those in authority are selected, monitored and replaced, (ii) the capacity of the government to effectively manage its resources and implement sound policies, and (iii) the respect of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them.
United Nations Development Programme: Governance is the system of values, policies and institutions by which a society manages its economic, political and social affairs through interactions within and among the state, civil society and private sector. It is the way a society organizes itself to make and implement decisions -achieving mutual understanding, agreement and action.[2].
[edit] Knowledge Exchange about Governance using a Wiki
Despite the recognition that governance is necessary for long-term social and economic development, there is still a lack of consensus on what governance means. To guide its programming on democratic governance, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has highlighted four key elements – Freedom and Democracy, Rule of Law, Accountable Public Institutions, and Human Rights - with gender as a cross-cutting theme. The Governance Village network borrowed these four elements, and added to them Children's Rights, and Peace, Security and Conflict Prevention, in this series of interactive Knowledge Guides about governance. With Wiki-technology that allows users to add, remove, and edit content, we invite you to collaborate with other members of the Canadian community of practice to develop these Knowledge Guides so that they reflect a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of the meaning and practice of governance in international development.
For more information about wikis read this article.
[edit] Rules of Engagment and of Conduct
Users are encouraged to contribute to keeping the Guides relevant and current. However, it is important that the following rules of engagement and of conduct are respected:
1. The Canadian and International resources should:
- Focus on international development
- Enable access to knowledge and expertise
- Bridge the gap between concept, policy and practice
2. Respect your fellow Wiki-users even when you may not agree with them. Be civil. Avoid making personal attacks or sweeping generalizations. Stay cool when the editing gets hot; find consensus; and avoid edit wars. Act in good faith, never disrupt this Wiki-forum to illustrate a point, and assume good faith on the part of others. Be open and welcoming.
[edit] Governance Village Foundation Partners
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
CIDA is Canada's lead agency for development assistance. It has a mandate to support sustainable development in developing countries in order to reduce poverty and to contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world.
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
CIGI is a non-for-profit, non partisan think-tank founded in 2002 that conducts research and advises on issues of international governance, focusing on international relations and economic policy research.
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)
Foreign Affairs and International Trade represents Canada around the world through its network of embassies, consulates and trade offices, and through it participation in multilateral institutions and international treaties and arrangements.
Institute on Governance (IOG)
IOG is a non-profit think-tank founded in 1990 that strives to provide an independent source of knowledge, research and advice on governance issues, both in Canada and internationally.
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
IDRC is a crown corporation dedicated to helping countries use science and technology to find practical, long term solutions to the social, economic and environmental problems they face.
The Parliamentary Centre is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of representative assemblies and governance mechanisms in Canada and around the world.
Rights & Democracy is a non-partisan organization that encourages and supports the universal values of human rights and the promotion of democratic institutions and practices around the world.
Really good site!
[edit] References
- ↑ Goran Hyden, Julius Court and Kenneth Mease, 2004, Making Sense of Governance: Empirical Evidence from Sixteen Developing Countries, London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, pp.16.
- ↑ UNDP Strategy Note on Governance for Human Development, 2004
