Governance and politics

A woman is helped by a member of the polling staff to cast her vote at a polling station in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 11 August 2007. Sierra Leone's elections were the first to be organised internally since UN peacekeepers pulled out in 2005. IRIN © Tugela RidleySince the 1990s, the quality of governance has been recognised as one of the central factors affecting development prospects in poor countries.

Governance lies at the heart of state-society relations. In its broadest sense, it is a process of bargaining between those who hold power and those who seek to influence it.

Governance is thus concerned with the way power is exercised and the sets of rules and institutions – both formal and informal – that govern behaviour in different arenas to pursue collective goals and interests. The arena in question can be that essential form of territorial organisation, the State, or local and international institutions.

Governance and politics are central issues informing ODI research. We look at how governance and politics can work better for development by raising awareness and improving the analysis of the chronic problems afflicting governance in developing countries. This understanding is essential, for without it is impossible for countries to respond to global economic shifts, human security and rights challenges, and climate change, or attain development and poverty reduction in the longer term.

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