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Government
Governments do not just make policies.
They are also responsible for creating a climate in
which people enjoy peace and security. The rules that
they set to shape the relation between state and society
in the broader security area are of growing importance
not only in societies in transition but also in established
political systems.
This is an aspect of governance that
has often been overlooked because of the emphasis in
the democratization literature on institutional reform.
One important issue in transitional societies is clearly
how the political leadership structures its relations
with the military. In many such societies, the military
has held political power in the past and is unlikely
to relinquish it without setting certain conditions.
Dealing with violence and poverty in
society is another set of issues that transcends the
boundaries of individual policy and enters the governance
realm. What rules, formal and informal, do government
put in place to meet popular expectations of freedom
from fear and want? These are systemic concerns that
no other institution but government has ultimate responsibility
for. Taking on these 'big' issues is not easy and many
governments are unwilling to face up to the challenge.
New Paper: Government and Governance
in 16 Developing Countries
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248KB) 