From Government to Good Governance

Political party rivalry, campaigning and winning free and fair elections is the core of democratic political competition. But what if your party or candidate actually made it, if you were elected against all odds? Now the task is to form a government and to govern. Of course, but thats easier said than done. Governance at large is the process of decision-making and the course by which decisions are implemented, partly implemented or not implemented at all, since bad governance is unfortunately not a rare case. The concept of Good Governance appeared in the nineties within the United Nations and the World Bank as a model to compare ineffective economies or political bodies with viable economies and political bodies. It is a concept widely used in international development practice to describe how public institutions best conduct public affairs and manage public resources. The concept centers on a number of prerequisites for governments and governing bodies in order to meet the needs of the people. Governments considered successful in the last decades were often liberal democratic states concentrated in Europe and the Americas, or governments in developing countries that applied institutional reforms and pursued market-orientated policies. Institutions here often set the standards by which to compare other states' institutions when assessing governance. Today, twenty years after, Good Governance seems to be on everybodys mouth in the south and the north, the east and the west. Its a political algorism, a developmental mantra, a common denominator that runs the risk of becoming redundant and meaningless. The seminar will review the way from government to governance. It will explore the concept of Good Governance and its origins, its applications and recent critique, in order to re-establish its meaning from a liberal perspective. The seminar offers a modular participatory structure and includes lectures, plenary debates, workgroups, role plays, media inputs, excursions and exercises.

Target group: young activists or office bearers from (liberal) political parties, young ngo-, media-, academic- or business representatives with distinct interest in liberaldemocratic political structures and governance procedures.

Seminar Content

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Where we all come from: Deficient democracies and democratic transitions The Framework: Constitutional promises and political realities Different ways of electing a democratic government Establishing and managing a democratic government From Government to Good Governance: What is Good Governance? Review of Good Governance concepts International standards and best practices Current international Rankings and Comparisons

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Good Governance from a distinct liberal perspective what can I take home for my country?

Since the term governance can apply to corporate, international, national, local governance or to the interactions between other sectors of society it is important to state that the seminars key focus will be on national government and its tiers.