Participation:

♤ Participation of all section of society is cornerstone of good governance.

♤ Participatory governance provides opportunities for citizens to take part in decision making, implementation and monitoring of government activities.

♤ However, participation needs to be informed and organized. This includes freedom of association and expression as well as an organized civil society.

Consensus oriented

♤ Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus on

o what is in the best interest of the whole community and

o how this can be achieved.

♤ It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development.

Rule of Law

♤ Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially.

♤ It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities and vulnerable sections of the society.

♤ An independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force

is sine qua non for impartial enforcement.

Transparent

♤ Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations.

♤ It also means that information is freely available in easily understandable forms and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement.

♤ It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media.

♤ For example, in India the Right to Information (RTI) Act has been a powerful instrument in the hands of people to ensure transparency in the decision making process of executive.

Accountable

♤ Accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies.

♤ The components of accountability are answerability, sanction, redress

and system improvement.

♤ In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions.

♤ Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.

Responsive

♤ Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.

♤ Redressal of citizen grievance, citizen orientation, citizen friendliness and timely delivery of services are key component of responsive governance.

Effective and Efficient

♤ Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results into the optimum use of resources at their disposal.

♤ Thus it also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.

Equitable and Inclusive

♤ A society’s wellbeing depends on ensuring that all its members feel they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society.

♤ This requires all groups, particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well-being.