Publication Abstract

Making Sense of Governance: The Need for Involving Local Stakeholders

There is no shortage of references to the notion that the quality of governance matters to development. Many observers and analysts believe that it is the main reason for explaining variations in socio-economic development performance around the world. Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary-General, maintains that good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development. More bluntly, The Economist has noted that of all the ills that kill people, none is as lethal as bad governance. Similar concerns are reflected, for example, in the views people in both developed and developing countries volunteered for Gallup's Millenium Survey - the largest ever public opinion survey - and a study funded by the World Bank featuring voices of the poor in developing countries.

While few dispute the significance of the governance variable, there is much less agreement about how the concept should be used and what it really means. So far, it remains a much more rhetorical notion than one that can be used to truly assess and measure variations in governance. Our understanding remains very limited on such fundamental questions as: when, why and how does governance make a difference to the way a country develops?

Author:	Goran Hyden, Julius Court and Kenneth Mease
Date:	2003
Full Document:	Making Sense of Governance: The Need for Involving Local Stakeholders (155kb)

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