Going for Governance

Governance is an ambiguous term that encompasses complex issues and social phenomena, and is closely linked with constructs such as the State, institutions and government. It is important in every aspect of sustainable development, and vital for effective organizations, whatever their size or purpose. Rather than attempting to develop a standard definition of governance, this book explores the multi-faceted nature of this elusive concept, which has generated numerous...
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Governance is an ambiguous term that encompasses complex issues and social phenomena, and is closely linked with constructs such as the State, institutions and government. It is important in every aspect of sustainable development, and vital for effective organizations, whatever their size or purpose.

Rather than attempting to develop a standard definition of governance, this book explores the multi-faceted nature of this elusive concept, which has generated numerous schools of thought with different perspectives on governance, and varying hypotheses about its links with development. Program and project advisors are sometimes asked to tackle particular aspects of governance in an organization or government institution. Yet this is an issue that crops up in most program and project situations - raising the question of what advice to give and how best to assist staff, management and leaders in developing transparent and accountable governance practices.

The 15 cases presented in this book illustrate the different kinds of advice and support that advisors from the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) have delivered to help partners around the world improve people's lives by "going for governance". Taken as a whole, these accounts show the range of processes and interventions that have helped strengthen governance in diverse settings and situations. Taken individually, each case study can be used as reference materials for a variety of training courses.

For KIT, governance is ultimately about people and the way they interact in order to ensure that their needs are met. Whether it is perceived as a process, a set of functions within a system or the relations between different actors, governance relates to decision-making processes that involve multiple actors with different roles and interests.

The aim of this book is to provide ideas and inspiration for those who are asked to advise on governance issues in various kinds of development programs and sectors, or explore opportunities to use innovative and creative governance approaches and tools in KIT's joint initiatives with partners in the South.